


Familial Bonds (Shattered and Mended)

by Hadronix



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: A lot of good feels, Anankos isn't insane, Corrin was raised by Anankos, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, HUGE AU, Invisible Kingdom | Revelation Route, father-daughter bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2020-10-24 21:21:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 30,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20712713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hadronix/pseuds/Hadronix
Summary: AU where Mikoto flees Anankos with Lilith, but is unable to bring Corrin with her. Corrin is raised by Anankos, and is able to keep him from losing his sanity. After Corrin reaches her early teenager years, the two decide to take a trip to Hoshido, mainly because his daughter wanted to... partly to see how Mikoto is doing...





	1. Father First, King Second, God Last

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: Will be a trilogy!
> 
> A trilogy that has a focus on… Anankos? Wait, what?! Hadronix is typing a fic with Anankos?! Oh my, what is the world coming to? Erm, alright, seriously though…
> 
> This is delving into if Mikoto was only able to get Lilith away from Anankos, and exploring the possibility that the reason Anankos doesn't go outright mad is due to Corrin's presence.
> 
> ...what? If the reason that these characters can overcome and defeat gods is due to 'the power of friendship and bonds', then why can't that same reasoning be used to keep those very gods from going mad in the first place?
> 
> Anyway, prepare for moderate amounts of father-daughter bonding times, familial fluff, concern for each other's well-being… slightly spiced with some implications if Corrin wasn't by his side.
> 
> And one tense reunion with Mikoto and the Hoshidan royals.

With the power of being one of the First Dragons behind his hand, a force stronger than any that could hope to match, Anankos also wears the title for 'King of Valla'... but he's also faced with the undeniable fact of a lingering decay on his mental well-being. A decay that has halted in the face of his family, in which that remains only one daughter. Corrin.

His wife had no faith in him, so she attempted to whisk his daughters away. She managed to get Lilith to 'safety', but not Corrin. She is all he has right now, a smiling face that just wants him to feel better. Every morning, waking up to the gentle greeting of 'father?' as she checks up on him, and while she is barely out of her teenage years, she is incredibly keen to the subtleties of him. She can seemingly tell whenever he suffers another nightmare, because she'll make sure there's someone to hold. She knows when he needs space, because he'll find out that his duties as King have been… 'delayed' for a day.

Corrin never really pushed to know her mother, nor about the other sibling, since there is only one other room that remains decorated. Corrin doesn't want to lose her father, and Anakos doesn't want to lose the last bit of family he has left… because he fears that if Corrin leaves, his sanity will follow suit.

**Why** did Mikoto have to run?! Occasionally he'll start up another scrying spell, a means to find out what exactly she's doing. He would check up on Lilith, but she has some sort of anti-magic barrier that is specifically countering **his** magic.

He never stopped caring, but he is losing his patience. The day that he learned Mikoto is bedding with the King of Hoshido was the day that he decided enough is enough. "Father?" The concerned voice comes up again, shining red eyes and hair that is tinged with just a bit darker shade of blue than his own. "Please, don't do anything irrational." Her eyes glance down at his hand, which is sparking with but the smallest fractions of his power. She is well aware of his status as a 'god', as her pool of power is starting to rise. She'll run around in her dragon form, almost in a carefree nature. Her Dragonstone matches the color of his hair, but only because that is the color she wanted. "I don't want to lose you."

Perhaps another day, then? Anankos smiles and lets out a sigh, "I don't want to lose you, either." The magic fizzles out and he stops the scrying session. However, he also internally flinches… some plans have already been sent in motion, in the rare moments where he's losing himself, but she isn't near. A single word is all he needs to assign death… the King of Nohr has fallen and tensions are rising. "Valla needs to be repaired." Unchecked magical discharges can be inconvenient… if you are a typical magic-user, but Anankos is one of the…

"I fixed some of them last night." He turns his head and looks at her proud smile. "It took me a few attempts, but I did it. Well, I fixed one, I'm not used to using that much magic in one go."

"Daughter…" He is caught somewhere between pride and concern, "You really shouldn't be using that much magic right now."

"Father… the people are worried for you and their home… I'm worried for you and our home." She sits on a chair, then places her chin on her hands, which is resting on the back of the chair. "If I can take some of the burden off of you, I will."

"LIke how you do when you rule without me there?" He points out, already feeling so much more calmer with her here.

A sheepish smile forms, "You have some really talented advisers… ones who really respect your line of thinking."

"Corrin, I still don't approve of that. You're too young, I want you to enjoy your youth."

A pause, before a genuine smile creeps up, "I am enjoying my youth. I want to see you happy, y'know… ever since they left us." Clinging onto the last bit of family, just like him. She doesn't have any real memories of her mother or sister, but she holds onto him so well.

She's truly terrified of losing him, even if she knows how to hide it.

He really should drop that 'puppet' spell on the King of Nohr, maybe if he can just focus on him and Corrin… but, their relationship so far has been Anankos leaning on his daughter for comfort. It has been Anankos the 'Silent Dragon' or Anankos the 'King of Valla'... he has rarely been Anankos the 'Father'. "Corrin, dear?"

Her pointed ears perk up and she gives him a happy look, "Yes, father?"

"Would you like to spend tomorrow with me and…?" He didn't even get to finish before she accidentally knocked over the chair and threw her arms around him.

"I'd love to!" She giggles.

_"...and pay a visit to your mother?"_ Is what he was going to ask, but he refrained from adding that part. Besides, as long as Corrin is by his side, he'll be fine…

* * *

Corrin looks around Hoshido with awe. She's spent most of her life surrounded by a strange, distorted land… with vertical chunks of land, lakes of water that float in the air, things that only Valla had. But now? Everything around her is rooted in reality. Trees remain rooted in the ground, the only things that fly are the birds, Pegasi, and wyverns. Yet, not for one second did she belittle the world around her.

Yes, she would be the force that keeps Anankos calm.

"Ooo, what kind of fruit is this?" During one of her many random questions, she dashes up to one of the numerous things Valla doesn't offer. It's… hard to properly grow food when magic can abruptly pull something out of the ground. Corrin sniffs the large red-skinned fruit, then looks at her father with a tilted head.

"Apple." Before his mental state started decaying and the ensuing magical outbursts, Valla **did** have all of this. Valla had stability, Valla was better than any other land… all due to his magic, the same magic tearing it apart.

"Apple?" She echoes, before taking a bite. A smile forms as she plucks another one off of the tree and hands it to him.

She is **so** precious… "Thank you, daughter." He takes the offered fruit and bites into it… it tastes sweeter than he remembers. The sun continues to shine brightly, just enough to warm, but not enough to harm…

Or maybe that just applies to him and Corrin? By their blood alone, they are far more resilient than any human. When you spend thousands of years as a being in which very little can harm you, it can be hard to remember that there are such things… though this thought only rose up because of his daughter… she **isn't** a god. Yes, she's far more powerful than any other could hope to be, but unlike him, she can still be damaged by more… conventional weaponry.

Come to think of it, he's never really sat down and tried to guide her through what she **can** do. Why, though? She has potential access to so much and more, she could tap into incredibly potent magic… then again, when she looks up at him with those widened ruby eyes, he can't help but want to keep her **away** from those very magics. "Daughter?" He finally asks.

She quickly goes through that bite of the apple she was on, and then does just that… looks up at him with those widened ruby eyes, "Yes, father?"

"You're aware of my… status, correct?"

She tilts her head, "You are the Silent Dragon, King of Valla." She wipes some leftover apple juices off of her face… then licks that off of her hand.

"Would you like it if I shared some of the things you might be able to do?" Only if she wants to.

She blinks her eyes, "Would that include all of those little green-hazy things on the ground that kinda pulse? They got a pull on them, but I didn't want to mess with them until I knew what they were."

So young, yet already so wise and with a lot of control. A smile forms, "Those are called Dragon Veins, concentrated sources of magic strewn across the lands."

"Then… can I draw from them to cast really powerful spells?" Corrin assumes.

"Close, they are primarily used to change the environment around it." Anankos looks around, "Here, I'll provide a small-scale one… and make it a wind-based one." For him, this is almost nothing… a rune is sketched into the ground, then he applies a more noticeable, at least to him, amount of magic into it. "There, now… stand on it, and focus on the power it contains."

Interested, Corrin walks over to the rune, "So, like a spell?" While Corrin has show an obvious connection to magic, it intrigued him that she has developed a preference for swords. Essentially, her order in preference is swords, her Dragonstone, and then magic. His eyes scan over the sword seemingly floating off of her back, it may not be one of the Divine Weapons, but it's one he made specifically for her.

If he doesn't lose his sanity by the time she reaches full adulthood, he'll make her another.

Corrin crouches over the rune, muttering words, before standing up and tapping into the Dragon Vein. The magic soon disperses and a… moderate wind rushes by. Anankos did make sure it wouldn't be too powerful, after all. "And that is a Dragon Vein."

She turns to him with a huge smile on her face, happy that she got to learn something important. "That was… different to anything else I used." Her chest puffs up with pride. "It felt like a rush… adrenaline."

He chuckles, "Well, do keep in mind that I kept that one weakened… most of them provoke far more dangerous changes. Leveling mountains, creating bridges over vast abysses, fracturing the lands around them, drying out or freezing entire bodies of water."

Her expression turns more serious, "Is there a way to tell the difference? Oh! What about if there are friends nearby?"

He nods, "There is… and while the magic itself won't directly affect those who are allies, the changes that occur will."

Corrin pauses, "So, if a Dragon Vein that… levels a hill were to activate, and there was both an ally and an enemy on that hill. The enemy would be struck head-first with the unleashed magic, while the ally would only have to deal with the aftermath?" She seems to remember the apple in her hand and takes another bite out of it.

"That would be correct." He too, bites out of the apple. "Come, we don't have that long to travel." Sure, he could have simply opened a portal, he could have summoned mounts, shifted into something faster, he could have done so many things to reduce travel time, but… he didn't **want** to. He wants to spend more time with his daughter. She quickly nods, parts around her mouth covered in apple juice again. He can't help but smile at the display. _"I'm just going to show you what I've accomplished. I'm going to show you that I'm not a 'lost cause'..."_

* * *

Corrin has only seen one castle in her life so far, the castle she was raised in. The castle of her father, the King of Valla, the Silent Dragon. She's only known her father as a parental figure, and while he never directly answered, she has sometimes heard the reason in his fears, his nightmares. She called him 'insane', a 'lost cause', 'dangerous'... sure, he has shown a few moments where there wasn't something quite right, but it seemed as long as she was there with him, he was fine. As such, she makes sure she is there by his side.

But now, within her sight? A second castle, 'Castle Shirasagi' of Hoshido. The place that holds… King Sumeragi and Queen Mikoto. She sorts through her thoughts, she's learned a lot over time, and so few of it has been of her actual heritage. The recent Dragon Vein experience was the first one in years, her father has been strangely distant from teaching her about what she might be able to do… but she's fine with that. She just wants to make sure he's happy. She doesn't want to lose him. She doesn't know why mother left them, nor why she stole her sister, but Corrin does know that she doesn't like that.

Corrin wasn't sure on what 'Mikoto' would be like, but another strike occurred when she learned that she's married to King Sumeragu… so, she left her father and remarried. Why? She looks up to her father, who has his hood up… which means he is really deep in thought. Corrin licks her lips as she focuses back forward, she really did like that apple. She then absentmindedly looks over her Vallite dress, deep blue and pure white are the main colors of choice, while gold and silver are woven within. Atop her head is a rather 'simple' circlet, adorned with a perfectly clear diamond. She's almost completely lacking in make-up, but it's thanks to sheer magical potential that she can completely skip that step. Her 'boots' are pure-white, but that is most definitely Illusion magic at its finest, all she really has on for footwear are her deep blue stocking.

Oh! Speaking of Illusion magic… Corrin casts a swift spell and 'banishes' her sword from existence. Now **that** is a real simple spell, nobody else can see it, nobody else can touch it… but if she were to draw it, it would instantly come back into existence. She tilts her head, well… easy to her. Magic is central to her as her dragon form. Even if she does prefer her sword.

She tilts her head at the incoming castle, and smiles as she and her father enter through the main gates of the city before it. Her father stops, she stops. Two people stand tall in front of them. One of them gives them a leveling glare, but it 'feels' more like he's acting the superior man, rather than intimidation. The second is… conflicted. Corrin literally can't determine what she's thinking. Her father lowers his hood, revealing his incredibly long water-blue hair and a deceptively youthful appearance, "King Anankos of Valla." The male offers a bow. "Princess Corrin of Valla. It is an honor to have yours visit mine."

A pause, before the woman continues, "King… Anankos and… Princess… Corrin." She looks conflicted: Hurt, relief, anger, happiness.

"King Sumeragi of Hoshido…" Her father starts, which means… "Queen Mikoto." He stops her greeting there. "I am thankful you accepted my request for a visit. It has been quite some time since I've had the luxury of travel."

Corrin quickly bows, "King Sumeragi of Hoshido, Queen Mikoto… it warms me to see you both well. My name is Princess Corrin, I am the daughter of King Anankos." Ever polite, even when facing a mother who left her.

Guards flank the Hoshidan royalty, while nobody travels with Anankos and Corrin… a mere show of how beyond they are the average person. "Come, we shall have a feast prepared… would you care to see my grand kingdom?" Sumeragi offers. "Perhaps Princess Corrin can meet my own children?"

Child**ren**, more than one… Corrin has never known her sister, maybe she's with them? What's it like… having a sibling? Others around the same age with the same parents. "If you don't mind, father? I'd like to see them." Still, curiosity wins over and she looks up to her father with that same widened and shining ruby eyes like she always does.

"I've no problem with that, dear." He smiles.

She bows again towards the King and Queen, takes a step, but then stops… and flashes a concerned look at her father, "Will you be okay?"

He chuckles, "I'll be alright, dear… please, go and enjoy yourself."

She looks over his expression with keen eyes, more than capable of detecting his subtle shifts… and when she's satisfied, she gives him a beautiful smile, "And you too, father!" She jogs off.

* * *

Corrin wasn't exactly sure what these children would look like, but she also didn't let it really bother her. She looked around the castle halls, her status as Princess allowing her enough leeway to look around… or maybe it was because of how peaceful this place felt. It might have taken her a half an hour, but once she poked her head around a corner, training grounds, she ended up seeing three people, far too intricately clothed to be standard soldiers. A man with hair akin to Sumeragi both in terms of color and length. A man with grey-ish hair pulled into a huge ponytail, he is using a bow which Corrin can instantly identify as one of the Divine Weapons… the weapons her father told her about. Last is a vibrant red-hair woman wielding a naginata.

She decides to walk in, "Hello." She greets with a smile.

And it's those three who take notice. "Who is she?" The gray hair one asked.

The one who looks like the King places his katana aside and stands tall. "Greetings, I am High Prince Ryoma. This is Prince Takumi, and she is Princess Hinoka. You must be Princess Corrin, correct?"

She nods, "I am, it's nice to meet you all." Emboldened by his kindness, she walks a bit closer.

"Oh, hey." Hinoka smiles back, "Mother said Vallite royalty would be visiting, so…" She twirls her naginata, before placing it aside, "How's it going?"

"I'm doing well, how about you?"

"I thought we would have a bit more time before the 'welcomings'..." Takumi sighs, before he draws the Fujin Yumi again, "Doing well." He mutters.

"Brother…" Hinoka sighs, "Um, that's a nice dress?"

Corrin does a quick twirl, "It is, isn't it. Father had it tailored for me…"

"Like most royal children." Takumi remarks.

"And then he enchanted it for resistance against dirt, smell, wearing, tears, wrinkles, stretching… and to add a consistent ocean smell, to always fit me well, and…"

"Woah, woah. All of that… on one dress?" Hinoka cuts her off.

Corrin shrugs, "Yeah, it wasn't that much for him." Do they… not know of what he can do?

Takumi scoffs, "Surely she means his court of enchanters?"

Corrin frowns at his continued rudeness, but instead of just pointing it out, she instead focuses on the target he's firing at… then causes it to fall flat. She smiles as it causes his shot to go wild. "Nope, just him." She finally answers.

"Princess Corrin, did you just do that?" Ryoma asks.

"Yes, I did." A smirk forms, confident in her heritage. "That's barely anything."

"Then, you are proficient at magic?" Hinoka is the one who asks.

Corrin shakes her head, "No, I prefer using the sword father made me."

"And let me guess, it's enchanted with resilience to rust, decay, bloodstains… added sharpness and durability?" Takumi asks.

"Yes, but it also contains innate ice, fire, wind, water, and dark magical energy to attacks, amplifies my magical spells, and empowers my dragon form." She smiles.

"I'm sorry… **who** is your father, again?" Hinoka.

"King Anankos of Valla." Corrin pauses, "The Silent Dragon, one of the First Dragons."

"...and of course her mother would also be one of the First Dragons." Takumi mutters. "Why not? She already has everything else at her disposal." Takumi just walks away, incredibly jealous.

"No, because my mother took my sister and ran off." Corrin's mood drops. "I thought marriage was supposed to be the eternal union of two lovers, who see each other through it all… not turn tail and run after things seem to fall apart." Alright, maybe she isn't as calm about this topic as she thought. It's just… the number of times her father had nightmares and...

"Is that…? Please, pardon my brother." Ryoma offers, "I'm terribly sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, that must've been pretty bad, only having one parent." Hinoka nods, but then adds, "Our mother passed away when we were rather young, but then father remarried to the current Queen Mikoto."

The other nods, "She has done everything she can to provide what we lost."

Corrin knows they are saying this out of respect, to try and make things better… do they not know the truth? Did Mikoto never share that detail? A darker thought passes by her, did… did she really think father was going to… kill Corrin? Go mad and destroy everything?

Ryoma and Hinoka share a look, "Would you like to do something with us? Do you like training?" Ryoma offers.

"I'm not exactly fond on the 'Princess' stuff, but if you want to…" Hinoka trails off.

"You are our guest, after all. It's only appropriate that we provide for you."

"...Are you able to leave the castle?" Corrin instead asks.

"We'd have to gather our retai…" Ryoma starts.

"It would be ill-advised right now, we don't know when Queen Mikoto or King Sumeragi may call you in, Lord Ryoma." A red-hair Ninja shows up out of thin air.

"It would be for the best if we remained within castle walls." A black-hair Ninja appears. "But, if you truly wish to, we will be by your side, Lord Ryoma."

"We're honestly better off departing now than trying to find **my** retainers…" Hinoka looks to the side. "Speaking of, I'd think your retainers would be near you."

"I don't have any." Corrin plainly states.

Ryoma frowns, "Even with your… heritage, it would be unwise to travel without them. What if assassins wielding Wyrmslayers were to assault you?"

"I have a constant barrier spell that father taught me… it negates the effects of Wyrmslayers." In fact, that is one of the very few spells that he insisted on her learning.

"There's a spell that… I'm sorry?" Ryoma asks. "I've never heard of such a thing."

"Huh? It's actually a pretty simple one." Upon saying that, however, Corrin remembers that she is the daughter of a god… and not them. "Er, actually… yeah."

"Alright… then what if there's a mage that is specifically counters magic?" He presses. "Or if…"

"Hit me." Corrin seriously states as she holds out her arm. "Go on, with your practice weapon."

"Princess Corrin, there are some things I can't comply with. I'm not going to hit you." Ryoma shakes his head. "Besides, you are missing my point. My point is that you aren't immortal."

"And I'm saying that few weapons can actually truly affect me. The only ones I really can't guard against are the Divine Weapons." Her chest fills with pride. "I get it, it's hard to understand existence that can be so resilient or hold so much potential, but it's the truth."

Unfortunately, it seems they took her statement the wrong way, "And the rest of us have to work our rear-ends off to get where we are." Hinoka. "Not all of us can be born into that kind of lineage."

Corrin face-palms for a second, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like I'm trying to belittle any of you." A pause, "Can we go outside now? It feels nice outside."

Ryoma and Hinoka share one more look, then they nod. "Very well."

* * *

"I must admit, I'm impressed." Anankos cooly states as the King and Queen had guided him around the city and castle grounds. "I had not realized how much has been accomplished since I last visited." Or, more accurately, the last time he scryed on this location. So… a few months? He blinked his eyes… wow, he has been so focused on Corrin that he almost completely forgotten about his wife.

"Hoshido is a fair and thriving country, fueled by its naturally high nutrients for farming and the generosity of our people." King Sumeragi speaks with pride.

As opposed to Valla's fractured landscape and his people who are going off of a day-to-day supply of food. Mikoto noticed the shift in his attitude, "Of course, we're also willing to share some of our bounties, correct?" She looks to her 'husband'. "Trading is a wonderful way to build relations."

Did… did she not tell him **anything**?! By law, she hasn't even divorced Anankos yet! One quick glance down shows that she easily discarded his wedding ring. 'A lost cause', indeed… "I'd have no issue with such a request." Sumeragi nods. "If I may ask, what can you offer in return?" This for that, fair enough.

The problem comes in on **what** Anankos can offer from Valla. "I'm afraid that due to my land's innate instability, I cannot offer much in common materials. Ancient texts, spells, I can offer you such things, but little else."

Sumeragi takes a moment to think it over, "I'm sorry, but I can't make a lasting trade offer with such valuables, besides… don't those things have personal value to you? I'd never ask to trade sentimental items."

His response comes out quicker than he wanted, "I have my daughter, there is little else I need in my life. If I trade, it is for my people's well-being." He gives the smallest of glances at Mikoto, "It is only due to my position as Valla's King that I just don't live alone with my daughter."

He tilts his head, "I can understand that feeling, just wanting to be with your family." Mikoto is becoming increasingly uncomfortable… she really didn't tell him, did she? "Well, I suppose… given the rarity of your offered items, we could agree on a… five for one? For every five or so of my trade, you give one?"

Oh wow, that is incredibly generous. Anankos would never suspect to walk away with such a deal. "That would seem unfair to Nohr." Which is why he can't accept it.

"Nohr…" Sumeragi repeats. "King Garon has become increasingly unwilling to negotiate. I know we have had tensions in the past, but it seemed like we were finally moving past that." A tinge of guilt washes over Anankos. Why did he have to follow through with that plan? "Very well, I can understand your reasoning. I would hate to provoke action in that manner." He hums, then rubs his chin, "Still, I hate to leave your land so barren. What else…? My love, do you have any suggestions?"

Anankos narrows his eyes at her, 'his' love. "I'm afraid I don't have any lasting ideas, love." Nervousness.

"Then we can save this conversation for a later date?" Anankos offers, "I didn't come to simply bargain or speak of business matters. My daughter sought to come here, and I wanted to give her the opportunity to explore and learn." A pause, "If I may ask, how much have your children traveled?"

Sumeragi chuckles and Mikoto forms a small smile, "Oh, it would be a miracle to keep them in one place…" Sumeragi starts, "Ryoma has made a great impression on his people, as he patrols the city. Hinoka has the urge to travel, and has even trained in the arts of a Sky Knight to explore Hoshido. Takumi occasionally goes out to hunt, but other than the forest, he doesn't travel. Sakura stays within the clinic, so she's the one who's spent the most time inside the castle."

Anankos smiles, "My dear Corrin also like to travel throughout Valla, she likes to lend a hand to our people. I still fondly remember the time when she spent most of the day just talking her way through a village."

"A sign of a natural born leader." Sumeragi proudly states. "You have an exceptional daughter, King Anankos." Mikoto falters. "Love? Is something wrong?" And he finally notices.

"I just feel a bit… weak. I think I need to lie down." She boldly lies to Anankos's face. "I do apologize for my relative silence and not providing proper conversation. I do wish the best for the rest of your visit." She bows, as she slowly walks with some of the royal guard.

He frowns, "She had been weak for most of the day. I've been worried for her."

And so oblivious. _"How does it feel, 'love'? Seeing that the 'lost cause' is doing very well? That your daughter is truly happy with her father?"_ The only thing he wishes to know right now is **where** Lilith is. If he had to assume anything, then Lilith was given to a loving family to 'keep her safe from the lost cause'. "I do apologize if I'm asking too early, but… what will be part of the feast?"

He chuckles, "Ah, are you hungry, then?" A true smile forms, "There's no shame in admitting it."

"I was just unsure of when you normally eat. I don't want to change your normal schedules."

"Perhaps we could hold an activity to pass the time, then?" Sumeragi offers, "Are you interested in sightseeing? Games? Maybe a small sparring competition?"

A sparring competition? Perhaps Corrin would like that… seeing how she stacks up against the katana wielders? But… he also doesn't want her to freely fight like that. One problem is that she isn't used to 'normal' standards… almost everything she has for comparison is himself. Sure, she has traveled through Valla and knows the residents, but even they aren't the same… the innate magic in the air has changed the Vallites. Sightseeing is probably what Corrin would appreciate most.

...And there it is, worrying more about what Corrin would want. A small smile forms, he truly loves her with his everything. "The sparring competition, I'm interested in what styles you all offer."

With that answer, Sumeragi's chest puffs up with pride, "And I'd be honored to show you the best of Hoshido… Samurais. Please, come this way." Back towards the castle.

* * *

With the King's call out, it took no more than an hour to round up the best from Hoshido… and who were also within the city limits. Anankos was honestly quite surprised, however, to see Sumeragi's own children taking part of it. Ryoma and Hinoka were ready and eager… and Corrin arrived in with them, but the second she saw her father was the second she dashed over and hugged him. "How are you feeling?"

Calm, peace… stronger than any spell. "I'm doing well, dear. How are you?"

She flashes that wonderful smile, "I've been well. Ryoma and Hinoka are nice to be around. Takumi can be… rude. I haven't met Sakura yet." She counts off, "Ryoma, Hinoka, and I were going to go outside, but apparently there's a small tournament being held." She gives him a knowing look. "Did you ask for this with me in mind?"

"Are you okay with it? I wanted to go with the sightseeing, but…" He pauses as he sees her shining eyes, a face filled with pure happiness.

"I'm interested in this. I am kinda curious on how they train." She quickly takes a seat beside him. "If, uh… I may ask, though…" She trails off with a sheepish smile.

"Corrin, dear…" He pauses, "As long as you remember…"

"That I'm a direct descendant of a First Dragon, and they are not." She finishes his statement off with a smile, "I haven't forgotten, and… oh! They didn't even know my father is the Silent Dragon."

He sighs, "I don't like waving that title around. I prefer…"

"To be a father first, then a King, and lastly the Silent Dragon." Again, she finishes it off for her.

She giggles and he can't help but start laughing. "Very well, if you wish, you may take part in this."

She tightens the hug for a moment, "Thank you, father… I love you!"

"And I love you, too." They each share a pair of forehead kisses before Corrin walks up to Ryoma, she asks a question, gets her answer, and returns to Anankos. "Well?"

"Ryoma wants to be the one sparring with me." She smiles. "So, it should be fun, right?" She leans on him, "How far should I go, father?"

In terms of 'should I let him win?' Anankos internally chuckles, sure… if his daughter were to truly challenge them, she would come out on top, but she isn't so brash with her powers. She will make a truly great Queen one day. "Provide him with a fair challenge."

She nods, "Alright, I understand." She looks onto the arena with her normal widened eyes, always sparkling and full of life. "So, first up is…?" She grabs one of the small lists nearby, "Hana and… Hinata?" She hums, "Oh, two retainers. Former is Sakura's, the latter is Takumi's." She puffs her cheek out, "I hope Hana wins, then."

"Dear?" The two Samurais don't waste a second once the match starts.

"Takumi didn't make a good first impression." She quickly supplies. "I think he just needs extra time, he might not be too keen on new people." She smoothly shrugs it off. "Besides, there's enough stories centered around a **male** being the hero… I want to see more females being the ones who save their 'Prince Charming'." A pause, before a thought passes by her, "I wonder who I will end up with?"

He smiles, "I'm sure you can woo whoever you wish, daughter." She does have a natural charisma about her. Corrin is truly the best person. She's young, wise, strong, naturally talented, the list goes on and on… and of course, the last thing on that list is 'daughter of the Silent Dragon', because there are far more important things in any world than Anankos being a First Dragon. Like, for example, the loving daughter leaning on him.

"...but I also want to make sure you'll be okay." She mutters, far more sober than a mere few seconds ago. "Father, I know you struggle at times." Her voice cracks, "How many? How many of those big spells did you cast while I'm not with you?"

"Not now, dear. We're here to have fun, not open up delicate conversations." He firmly answers. "But, to ease your worries, none of it is directed towards 'here'."

She slowly nods, still concerned. "Okay." A particularly loud cling follows as Hana slips by Hinata and lands a pretty tough blow to his side. "Yes!"

"Ah, ah… not so quick." He states as Hinata takes advantage of his downed position by sweeping his legs under Hana, then reversing their spots.

"Aw…" Corrin pouts. "I really wanted her to win that round." Regardless, she puts on a smile and claps. She then returns her eyes to the list, "Oboro and… Saizo?" A woman wielding a naginata and that red-hair Ninja walks in. "That's a pretty hefty difference. Especially since a practice shuriken doesn't weaken their target." Intelligence shines through… she'd also make a wonderful Tactician. "Saizo is at a disadvantage because of that."

"Ninjas are also incredibly fast. His shurikens might not be able to weaken, but he could still easily slip by her defenses." Anankos counters.

"His attacks are lighter, as is his armor, so it would only take a few hits from Oboro for him to lose this round." She replies without missing a beat. "Oh, hey Hana! C'mere!" Corrin waves her down.

"Princess… Corrin, correct?" She bows, "My name is Hana, and I'm one of Princess Sakura's retainers." A few bruises, but nothing big.

"I was really hoping you would win…"

She rubs the back of her head, "Sorry to disappoint, then… Hinata's picked up some pretty unique moves lately."

"Would you mind coming a bit closer?" She suddenly asks.

"...for a little bit, I do need to return to my liege." A fair reason, "Did you need something?"

"Well, not me exactly, but…" A few gestures, some muttered words, and the small amount of injuries Hana had are now gone. "There you go!"

Hana blinks her eyes, then looks herself over. "Uh, wow, that's… what kind of healing was that? Even the best Festals can't fix it all in one go."

Corrin was about to answer the truth, but… "It's a family secret…" She looks up at him with those wide and shining ruby eyes, "right, father?"

Anankos chuckles, "If that's how you want to put it, daughter, then yes."

Slightly confused, but Hana doesn't push the topic, "Regardless, thank you, Princess Corrin." The female Samurai offers a deep bow, then excuses herself.

"You are enjoying yourself, aren't you?" Anankos smiles as Corrin resumes leaning on him.

"I am… this is one of the best things you've done for me." A pause, "There are few things that I can think of are better…"

"And what is one, if I may ask?"

"Bringing me into this world." She sincerely answers. "I'm glad I grew up with you, I'm glad you raised me." Anankos found himself unable to respond to that, what else could be said? No, it's not what 'could be said', it's that words wouldn't be able to explain, so instead he just wraps an arm around his daughter and pulls her a bit closer.

This tender moment lasted so long that they ended up missing on paying attention to the majority of the match, with Saizo coming out the victor.

Though, what they didn't notice was the intense combination of happiness and guilt that is coming from Mikoto, who is watching from afar. Happiness for seeing them getting along so well… guilt for not being there for her… or Lilith. They didn't need to know that, since father and daughter are clearly fine just being together. It was in this moment that she knew Anankos was **not** a 'lost cause'.

"Hey brother… how long has it been since **we** sparred?" Hinoka enters the ring, going against Ryoma.

Corrin's ears immediately perked up and her attention became solely focused on these two. "I'm not sure… though you'll be glad to know I am far more improved than I was then."

Hinoka lets out a more masculine chuckle, "Heh, and so have I." Katana versus naginata, brother and sister respectively.

"Hinoka has the natural upper hand due to naginatas being greater than katanas." Corrin starts, her more tactical prowess popping up, "However, she is also used to fighting on her Pegasus, which implies a more hit and run style, something that will tire her out faster in this situation. It's also due to being a Sky Knight that she prefers lighter armor, as to lessen the burden on her mount."

Anankos rises an eyebrow, "And what is your verdict, my dear daughter?"

"I think Ryoma is going to win." She confidently states with a smile. "Despite the disadvantage of wielding a katana when facing a naginata, he is suited to the ground, on top of Samurais being near the top when it comes to one-on-one combat."

"It never fails to amaze me how you can cram all of that studying in between everything else you do." Anankos had thousands of years to learn what he knows… Corrin has had about sixteen so far, with the first five being excluded due to being too young.

She casually shrugs, "Tactics come easily to me. I didn't necessarily read all of those books. Even the more advanced stuff just… clicked. Besides, I… ooo, wait! Shh…" She quickly silences herself when the match starts.

Ryoma charges for an almost blindly fast first strike, yet somehow Hinoka still manages to block it, though by the time she's ready to counter, Ryoma had already sidestepped and lunged a second time, scoring his first hit. With his initial momentum down, Hinoka takes advantage of her superior reach to get a glancing blow in, then follows up with another… nope, this one is a feint. Ryoma moved to block, but then realized the sudden change in direction, he attempted to shift the area he's blocking, but instead he's greeted with a second hit. Ryoma, being far more used to the ground, recovers within a mere second and counters, striking Hinoka before she could even transition from her previous strike to guard.

Keep in mind, all of that happened in about seven seconds.

Corrin tilts her head at the display, entranced in how much got done within a small time frame, as well as their skill. Aside from her own raw power, Corrin would be struggling against either of them.

Ryoma slightly shifts his grip and goes for a sweeping blow, Hinoka twists her own grip and deflects the training katana, then thrusts with her practice naginata. Ryoma deftly avoids it by mere inches, as the spearhead literally goes in-between the gap between his arm and side… he then clamps his arm to the side alongside the shaft of her weapon, tugs, then uses his katana arm to land a huge hit.

Hinoka grimaces, but then smoothly drops to the ground and sweeps from down with a leg. She pulls her naginata free and goes for downward strike, only for Ryoma to roll the second he lands, and with one amazing display of agility and strength, pushes himself off of the ground with a single arm, hops up, and is back in his stance.

Hinoka only had enough time to finish the motion of her previous attack before Ryoma was on her again, but this time she was ready to block, however… due to the earlier large hit, her guard falters from the force of his swing, which he takes advantage of with an incredibly bold and reckless move of reaching out to grab the shaft of her weapon. He bashes the pommel of his weapon on her wrist, which is enough to give him the leverage to pull the naginata free, which he tosses to the side, he holds the wooden blade to her neck. The two stop.

Corrin smiles, "I knew…"

Hinoka, perhaps now unburdened by her much larger and slower weapon, **knees** Ryoma, grabs his arm, sweeps under his legs again, twists his katana arm, pulls his katana out with her damaged arm, and both places her much more muscular leg onto his chest, katana at his neck. She smirks, "You hesitated, brother."

Ryoma chuckles, "No, I assumed you would yield…"

"I saw your muscles relax." Hinoka nods. "Well… do you?"

"I yield."

Corrin gapes while tilting her head. "And that is a consequence of assuming you have the upper hand." Anankos nods. "He made the mistake of forcing a yield while his opponent had full use of all of her body. Sometimes a blade to the neck isn't enough to stop your enemy."

She huffs, "But if this was an actual life or death battle, than he would have won."

Another nod, "I agree, but this was simply a sparring match." He nudges her side, "It seems it's your turn next."

"Wish me luck, father." She smiles.

"...I always do, dear." He leans slightly forward as Ryoma is completely healed by his wonderful daughter.

"Any restrictions?" Corrin asks as she takes up a practice katana… before literally reshaping the blade to match the one her father made for her… er, while keeping the material as wood, of course.

Ryoma casually shrugs, "No mortal injuries, no lethal weapons or poisons…"

"Magic?"

He chuckles, "If you wish for magic, you'll need to use a practice Scroll."

Scrolls… Hoshido's main source of magical combat. Corrin then shakes her head, "I think I'd rather keep this on similar levels." She looks down at her upper chest, where her Dragonstone rests.

"Would you like a different outfit?" He asks.

Oh right, she's still in her dress. "One second…" Once more tapping into her absurdly large mana pool, she changes her dress into the armor she uses when she's traveling around Valla. The outside of it reflects the design of dragon scales, all colored in the same watery-blue as her father's hair… and her dragon form. The arms and legs take a more white color, and the gauntlets have short claws on the ends. The magic surges up and her long deep-blue hair is contained within a partial helmet, opened enough to keep her face visible and with holes on the side for her pointed ears, but also out far enough to keep them from sticking out, the helmet is colored as her hair, a deep-blue. Lastly, a cloak and a large scarf appear, also in the color of her hair. The Dragonstone is now encased within a sturdy glass covering over her chest armor, shining a brilliant blue. "Okay, I'm ready." She takes her stance, which is a far cry from Ryoma's… one arm in front of her, this portion of the armor is heavily reinforced. THe other to the side which is wielding the sword and the armor on it is closer to the rest.

Anankos's chest fills with pride as he looks his daughter's armor over… all that is truly missing is the real sword he made for her. Now, on top of all of her wisdom, experience, knowledge, and tactical prowess, she **looks** a deadly force… and this isn't even including her raw magical potential, nor her dragon form.

Ryoma shakes his head, "I don't think I'll ever get used to this level of magic." He takes his stance, "I, too, am ready."

Unlike last time, Ryoma holds for a few more moments before attacking, perhaps observing to figure out just what kind of fighting style Corrin has… a style she made herself. Wild, unpredictable, fast, powerful… there are many names Anankos can apply to her style. Corrin makes full use of her entire body for her fights, nothing is off limits.

...Even if it means **slapping** her opponent.

However, this time she is restricting the use of one of the largest chunks of her arsenal… her Dragonstone. No, not a complete change, but a 'partial shift'. Anankos was and still is impressed by her unique ability to form weapons with her body… swords, shields, maws, lances, axes… she can emulate almost every weapon type with her draconic powers. The only exceptions are bows and throwing weapons… well, she **can** form daggers and shurikens, but she can't throw them.

All of this she isn't going to use, sword versus katana.

Needless to say, Anankos is interested to see how she stacks up when fighting without her draconic heritage. His thinking pauses for a moment… with the current rules, the only way Ryoma is going to win is by wearing her down over a long amount of time. Her armor is sturdy enough to take a Silver weapon head-on, she has skin tougher than the commonly used Iron weapons… he would include her magical barrier, but she doesn't have that active… erm well, except for the Wyrmslayer negation.

Perhaps it would've been better to set the match to end after 'X' amount of hits have landed? Or if one's back hits the ground? Anankos shakes his head, well… too late for that.

Ryoma finally charges, and it seems being the focus of the charge has set Corrin off, since she wasn't able to respond fast enough, though her armor was far more than enough to stop his attack. But, unlike with Hinoka, Corrin **was** able to counter before Ryoma withdrew, landing a quick pommel strike before kicking him back, causing him to double over. "Um, Ryoma?" She suddenly asks.

"I have a feeling I know what you're going to ask…"

"First to… three direct strikes?"

Ryoma chuckles, "Given your armor… yes." A pause, "Restart the match?"

"Fair enough." She smiles.

Anankos smiles at the exchange, she is far from a brutish powerhouse. She recognized that with her armor and bloodline, then there would be a near zero chance of Ryoma winning… so, she made sure that the match would boil more down to skill. The two resume their stances, and this time?

Corrin meets Ryoma halfway, each clashing their blades with enough force to cause them to chip a bit. However, Ryoma has two hands for his grip, and is able to slowly push Corrin back. Corrin lets his blade slide down and she uses that to go for another quick pommel blow, but Ryoma is ready this time… he barely moves back, then goes for a kick, only for her to block it with her reinforced armored arm, grabbing the foot and pushing him back. She grips her wooden sword a bit tighter and lunges, to which it hits his side…

One to zero.

Corrin waits until Ryoma completely regains his balance, then the two restart their attacks. Ryoma deflects an incoming sword strike, twists his blade, then does a close-range swipe.

One to one.

Again, the two wait until each have regained their balance before the next round. Corrin lunges, but steps back as Ryoma tries for a thrust. She uses her reinforced arm to knock the blade a bit further than he is use to, then she truly lunges, she goes for a quick swipe, but is stopped with a forceful kick to her chest. She stumbles back, he brings his practice katana around a full circle.

One to two.

Huffing, Corrin narrows her eyes. Ryoma's face remains stern, not showing a single ounce of overconfidence, unlike with Hinoka. The two circle each other, Ryoma starts with another blindingly fast blow, perhaps looking to end this now, but Corrin is far more in the zone this time, and she weaves under his highly aggressive attack to thrust at his far too exposed chest. Ryoma tried to end the spar with pure speed, but he paid the price for that particular gamble.

Two to two.

It's clear to Anankos that Ryoma posses far more skill in the katana than Corrin does her sword. The Prince must have spent his whole life using nothing but the katana, while Corrin is spread out among her sword, dragon form, and both offensive and healing magics. Ryoma and Corrin charge this round, the two blades clash and a much more audible crack is heard, moreso on Ryoma's blade due to Corrin's armor. The two step back half an inch and go for another set, but this time each one dodges the other, almost like they are mirror images. Ryoma raises his blade for a follow-up, but Corrin deflects it with her reinforced arm, she counters with an upwards slice, but like with Hinoka, Ryoma skillfully catches the blade as it is rising up in between his arm and side.

Anankos has a distinct feeling he wouldn't do that with a real sword… but! This isn't a real sword, it's made of wood.

Ryoma tugs, but Corrin lets go of her sword, causing him to stumble, and at the same time, she yanks on his katana, before flipping it around to hold the handle… Ryoma retrieves her wooden sword from his side-grip and holds it in his hand.

"You have a unique skill set, Princess Corrin." Ryoma finally states.

"Honestly… I wasn't expecting to last this long without using my draconic heritage." Corrin admits with a sheepish smile.

"Perhaps you should place more faith in your blade." Ryoma forms a small smile…

"Normally I would say yes, but…" She also smiles, "**You** have my sword right now, so I'll put more faith in this one."

Ryoma chuckles, "Touche." The short banter ends and their stances are assumed once more.

Once more, they charge, though Anankos can see the small hints of change. Ryoma is wielding a slightly heavier weapon, while Corrin has a slightly lighter weapon. Ryoma's strike comes out slower than he wanted, while Corrin ended up striking earlier than she anticipated, which came out in one result…

Two to three.

Corrin missed entirely while Ryoma struck her side. "That was a good match, Princess Corrin." Ryoma bows as they exchange weapons. "I must admit, you had a strange balance to your preferred sword."

She also bows, "I enjoyed myself, Prince Ryoma… I almost lost my grip on yours."

He chuckles, "Perhaps we could do this again one day? I'd love to see you progress."

"Hey… Hey! No way!" Hinoka walks up, "Next time Lady Corrin arrives… **I'm** sparring with her."

Corrin summons a wave of magic and now she's wearing her Vallite Princess dress again, "I like you two, so… I'll definitely be back for another round."

"Heh, and I like you… I'm glad you aren't the 'Princessy' type of Princess." Hinoka smiles.

Corrin giggles, "'Princessy'?"

She shrugs, "Y'know, the kind that spend all day putting on makeup and making sure every last thread of clothing matches. I'd rather be out in my lands and…"

"And helping out the people in need!" Corrin exclaims, "Exactly!"

Ryoma chuckles, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you really are our blood-sister, Princess Corrin."

Corrin knows he meant nothing but good by that comment, but Corrin couldn't help but slightly cringe at that. However, she recovers from that quickly and nods, "It is strange, isn't it? How similar we can be."

"So… how about some food?" Hinoka shamelessly asks. "Trumping your elder brother in a match makes for a good appetite."

"Don't get cocky, sister… that was only your second time out of… how many, again?" He smiles.

"Me? Get cocky? Let's not forget that it is that reason that I won those two." She smirks.

Corrin glances at her father, and gives him one the best smiles he has ever seen from her. _"How would it have been… if Lilith was raised with you, I wonder?"_ Anankos muses, _"Would you share similar rivalries?"_

* * *

Corrin's eyes widen as she takes in the sheer amount of food present, so many she doesn't recognize. Again, due to Valla's relatively unstable magic, Valla can't reliably grow long-term plants. Animals are a more common source of food. At least… thanks to father's affinity to water, said resource is abundant, but… gods. So many different fruits and vegetables, spices and sauces, juices and… alcohol. "Today, we are here to honor our guests from Valla, the land beyond the waves." King Sumeragi stands at the head of the table, cup in hand. "King Anankos, and his daughter, Princess Corrin." Corrin looks beside her and grabs one of the cups… alcohol. She isn't particularly fond of it, but during a social gathering like this? She'll drink a bit. "They have come to simply share some of their time with us, asking naught more than our attention!"

"It has been an honor to be given such hospitality, despite our relative silence." Anankos supplies. "I am truly humbled by your people's generosity."

Corrin smiles, "And how quickly we became friends!" Taking a notable glance at Ryoma and Hinoka.

"May there be more visits in the future." He fills his chest, "For everlasting peace!" Clink, clink, clink… the cups sound out. Corrin takes a quick sip, and was pleasantly surprised by the lack of the burning taste… it's more fruity than anything.

Alright, maybe she'll have more than her normal few glasses this time.

With Sumeragi at the head of the table, Anankos sits at the corner from him, with an open spot across… Queen Mikoto of Hoshido. "My wife sends her best, King Anankos." Sumeragi quickly states as the food is being served by the servants. There is also an open spot next to Anankos… Queen Mikoto of Valla.

The next 'section' of the table held the royal children. Corrin sat between Ryoma and Hinoka, Takumi is beside Ryoma, and Sakura is beside Hinoka. All of the Hoshidan Royal retainers are spread throughout certain spots. One of each retainer is currently participating in the feast, and then they'll switch out after a set amount of time. "U-Um… Princess C-Corrin, r-right?" Sakura asks, "My name is… Princess Sakura. I a-apologize for not meeting y-you sooner…"

Corrin smiles, "It's alright, Princess Sakura. There's no fault in having duties to attend to."

A small nod, "But still… y-you're a guest." She looks away.

"Hey, really… it's not a big deal. We'll meet again, anyway… maybe you will even get to visit Valla." She smiles, "Well, there isn't as much as Hoshido, but there's plenty of unique things to see…"

"Nonsense, I'm sure there's plenty of sight." Ryoma states.

"...otherworldly sights, yes." A sheepish smile, "Valla isn't as… stable."

"Huh? Whaddya mean?" Hinoka asks.

"Well… trees that float in the air, entire chunks of land that has their own pull and are positioned vertically…" Corrin rubs the back of her head. "Rivers that flow up and down, off of the ground and into the earth."

"Sounds like the air makes people delusional…" Takumi mutters.

"Truly?" Ryoma seems interested. "Why is that? How do your people cope with this?"

"I did say father is the Silent Dragon, one of the First Dragons, well… the magic he used to shape Valla hasn't been properly culled in a while, and it's causing a backlash."

"So… he allowed it to happen?" Takumi asks, but this time he's more concerned.

"Grief is a powerful force, Prince Takumi… this started happening after mother left us, while taking my sister away. He only regained control about seven years after that, when I was old enough to mostly take care of myself. I spend most of my time comforting him." Her voice cracks, "I don't want to lose father."

"Y-Your mother… left…?" Sakura seems stunned. "That's terrible! I-I'm so sorry to hear that."

_"Yes, it is… a shame that you don't know that my mother is the one who raised _**_you_**_!"_ Corrin bites her tongue. "It's alright, I love my father, he raised me well. I just hope that wherever mother went… that she's also happy. There's enough pain as is. No use going after someone for revenge, I would rather wish for their well-being." A pause, _"No matter how much it hurts me."_

Takumi forms a more disgusted face, "Well, she should at least look and see that she didn't end up breaking either of you." Oh, the delicious irony in all of this… "She should apologize, too."

Despite that, Corrin simply shrugs it off, "If she comes back, she comes back. If she doesn't, she doesn't. My father's well-being is more important than any apology."

"Well, King Anankos is lucky to have such an incredibly woman as yourself. I wish more children provided for their parents as you did yours." Ryoma smiles. "Family should come first."

Hinoka clears her throat, "So, uh… what's it like? Having a First Dragon for a parent?"

Corrin smiles, "He prefers being called a father first, then a King, and lastly a First Dragon." She echoes what Anankos has always told her. "Anyway… because of that, he prioritizes me, as a daughter, before anything else. He rarely touches on what I **can** do, because my well-being is more important."

"But… he does teach you?"

She proudly nods, "Yes! Like the Dragon Shield, for example… uh, the barrier that negates Wyrmslayer effects."

"U-um, what?" Sakura asks. "I've never heard o-of a spell like that…"

"Heh, well, you should hear what else she has up her sleeve." Takumi remarks. "Like how many enchants she has on her **dress**."

Which causes Corrin to nod, "Father enchanted it for resistance against dirt, smell, wearing, rips, wrinkles, stretching… to add a consistent ocean smell, to always fit me well…" She trails off.

Sakura gapes, tilts her head, and gasps, "Th-that's a lot…"

"Anything else?" Hinoka asks, "Like, what else can you do?"

"He recently taught me how to use Dragon Veins."

Corrin didn't exactly get the response she wanted… "We've been able to do that. Any Royal can." Takumi points out.

"Well, like I said, Father didn't worry about teaching me everything right now." She counters. "I can also shapeshift into a dragon." She flashes her Dragonstone pendant.

"O-Oh… that's beautiful." Sakura smiles, before squeaking, "Um… sorry for… staring." She looks away.

Corrin simply smiles, "It's alright, Princess Sakura."

Ryoma chuckles, "That's just how she is, Lady Corrin. Our little sister is naturally shy and timid."

"While our big sister is vocal and brash…" Takumi remarks.

"And our little brother is hot-headed and competitive…" Hinoka points out.

"But, most importantly, we're all family." Ryoma nods.

Hinoka and Takumi share a look, before they say at the same time, "And our big brother likes to shirk his duties as Prince." They both smile and share a high-five.

Corrin looks between them all, "And I occasionally take over Father's duties when he isn't too well." A pause, _"Which is something his _**_wife_**_ could do…"_

"O-On top of everything else you do?" Sakura asks. "You s-sound really… busy."

Corrin nods, "I am, but I'm glad to do what I do. I like helping father, I like helping my people. If I can, then I will." Her chest fills with pride again, "It can get tough, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

"Again, thank you for your hospitality, King Sumeragi." King Anankos bows. "Pardon the short notice."

"It is of no issue, King Anankos." King Sumeragi bows in kind, "It was a pleasure to have you and yours here."

Corrin waves at the Royal children, "I hope to see you all again soon!"

"As long as we get our little duel!" Hinoka smiles.

"A rematch?" Ryoma offers.

"Gods, do all you two think about is sparring?" Takumi sighs.

"B-Be safe, Lady Corrin! D-don't overwork yourself!" Sakura exclaims.

A last set of goodbyes, but right as the two Vallites were about to leave… "Excuse me?" Queen Mikoto emerges, "If you don't mind, I'd like a moment with them… alone."

King Sumeragi picks up on her concern, but manages to shrug it off, "Don't push yourself too much, love." He gestures to the castle, "Come, let's go inside."

"You still need rest, mother." Takumi remarks as they walk in…

And for a dreadfully long three minutes, she remains silent. Anankos is giving her an even stare… neither wanting nor rejecting. Corrin isn't too sure how to feel. "You've changed so much…" She finally says.

"Then I'm no longer a 'lost cause'?" He bites back.

"I've said things I shouldn't have… I've made assumptions when Valla started literally falling apart." Mikoto frowns.

A stern look, "I won't lie… there are times where I still have trouble, but as long as **my** daughter is with me, then I'm calm, collected."

Mikoto flinches at 'my'. "And you've grown to be a beautiful woman, dau…" She takes a breath, "No, who am I kidding? I'm no mother to you."

Corrin bites back an insult, almost too overcome with emotions, "Where's my sister?" She instead asks.

"You've placed an anti-magic ward on her." Anankos adds. "I have no clue where she is."

"...Nohr." She admits. "I had truly assumed the worst, and I didn't want her to…" Her voice cracks and some tears fall.

"You'd think I kill my own?" He bites back again.

"**Our land** was falling apart and you stood aside!" Mikoto finally shouts back. "This started happening **before** I left! What was your excuse then? Did you tell her that? Or did you tell her that it is because of me?!"

"I was trying to keep it contained." Anankos calmly replies, "The mental stress of the incoming childbirth was more than I had ever anticipated. I've never worried about anything so much in my life." He opens his arms, "I am Anankos, the Silent Dragon, one of the First Dragons. I created Valla, a land beyond the waters, with **my magic**, I shaped this land, I brought it life, I sustained it!" He gestures around them, "I could have lain waste to this entire world and leave only Valla… but!" He takes a breath, "I've never felt so powerless as when you would vomit randomly, when you stumbled, when you were bed-ridden… when you screamed as I held your hand. I was **afraid** to numb the pain. Babies are so delicate, even a pulse of too much magic could have been fatal."

Mikoto frowns, "...The Silent Dragon, indeed." She finally says, "You've never shared any of your burdens with me. We were husband and wife, you were supposed to rest your troubles with me. Yes, I'm no god, I can't do all of these world-changing events, but there's more to a relationship than raw power. Emotional support, mental support… I was there to listen to your problems, give you unconditional love… and all I received was silence."

Corrin looks at each of them, unable to find the will to speak. Though, she can see the root of the problem now. This wasn't a matter of father being a 'lost cause', this was simply… a lack of communication. Father assumed all of the major tasks fell solely to him. How many years has he lived like that? He's a god, he has all the power at his command. Asking for help must have felt like a huge blow against that mentality, that pride. Suddenly, Mikoto's reasoning became a whole lot more reasonable. She probably felt like an 'add-on', someone who was there to do a few tasks a day, then lie down at night to share bodies.

"...What's done is done." Anankos finally says. "I raised Corrin. Lilith lives alone. You raised four children who aren't even your own." He flashes the wedding ring, before slipping it off, "Enjoy your life, Queen Mikoto of **Hoshido**. I do honestly wish for the best." Cling, the ring clatters on the ground. Anankos walks away.

Corrin looks up to Mikoto as she always does father… with wide, shining ruby eyes, "Can you at least remove the anti-magic spell on my sister?" She asks. "I want to see her."

Mikoto deflates upon seeing her expression, and slowly nods, "I will…" Then, to her surprise, she bends down and picks up the wedding ring. "I also wish for the best in you and your father's life, Princess Corrin." She walks back up the steps and into Shirasagi. Corrin takes one more look at Shirasagi, before jogging to catch up to her father.

"Father? I love you." She offers a hug.

Which causes him to smile, "I love you too, daughter." The two share a hug. "Are you ready to go home?" Unlike last time, however, once they exit the city limits, he forms a portal right there, which is in the form of a pool of water.

"We are going to make another trip one day, right?"

"Of course, as long as you're by my side."

A huge smile, but tinged with just the smallest amount of sadness, "Awesome! Let's go home!" She faces her back against the water, then lets the natural forces pulls her back and down. Father follows shortly after. For a half-second, she feels the weightlessness of the water, before it turns into open air. She taps into her Dragonstone and glides the rest of the way down, making one huge lap around the main island, where the castle rests. She makes a sliding landing, rears her head back, and roars… before shifting back. She takes a breath of the magically-dense air and sighs in relief.

It is good to be home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, that went waaaay longer than I anticipated. But, let me tell you, woo… I loved typing this up. This was an absolute blast from start to finish, so… I gotta ask.
> 
> What about y'all? Did you enjoy this interpretation of events? Anankos? Corrin? The Hoshidan Royals? Mikoto? I think this all went rather well… despite the luke-warm ending with Mikoto and Anankos, but… I think that's a pretty fair reasoning for them. Mikoto is willing to admit she was wrong and is aptly sorry, Anankos remains hurt, but he moves on.
> 
> Not everything is perfect, of course… let's not forget that Anankos already moved forward with the canon plan of controlling Garon. But… this is a one-shot, so that's all there is to it. With that said…
> 
> I just might revisit this headcanon at some other point in time… maybe a visit to Nohr? Perhaps Anankos will allow Garon to move on and Xander will take the throne before they return? Corrin will get to meet Lilith? The Nohrian Royals? *shrug* We'll see, I mean… this did take a lot out of me, after all. *whistles* approaching 12k words, geez.
> 
> Oh, last tidbit... while you can use one of those cheat code devices to get immunities, there isn't one for Dragons, so I just... made one up. That 'skill' is not to be confused with Dracoshield (the item) or Dragonskin (the reduce everything by half). Thus, enter 'Dragon Shield', which negates effective damage on dragons.
> 
> Have a good one!


	2. Importance of Image and Use of Power

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two of three. Last time, we were all introduced to this AU, this time we’re delving a bit more into Corrin’s outlook on certain topics, as well as pursuing a number of leftover plot threads.

Corrin heaves a sigh, then takes another deep breath of her homeland’s air, feeling more energized simply breathing in this magically-dense air. She resumes carving into the ground, “Stability…” She whispers towards the completed earth-based Dragon Vein… or at least, she hopes it’s completed. Father made it look so easy. Now, she needs a quick test, because this  **needs** to work. She directs her attention towards a lone tree, then nods. Corrin walks over to the Dragon Vein, channels part of its energy, and blasts the tree with the sturdy energies of stability. She then taps into her Dragonstone and shifts one of her arms into the mace form. Breathe in, focus…  **slam** ! The tree, thankfully, only shakes a bit, but... 

The shockwave that came from the sheer force of that strike was enough to blow away the nearby grass and create several cracks in the ground. Corrin blinks her eyes, returns her arms to normal, and looks at the collateral damage again. She… she hasn’t even been training her physical side lately! It’s all been magical! Still, she should fix this before anything else... Corrin raises an arm and focuses on that cracks, “Return to normal, mend…” Magic escapes her, then she closes her open palm into a fist, which in turn causes the cracks to close.

She shakes her head and moves back over to the Dragon Vein then begins doing what she did with the other three in the course of three months... pump as much magic into this Dragon Vein as it will hold. Once that is done, she sighs in relief. A total of four Dragon Veins, she has never been so magically spent in her life, but! This will be worth it, for the betterment of Valla.

Just like how all of those ‘random’ wind-based Dragon Veins are worth it in the long run… or, rather the long  **flight** . Corrin takes a moment to shift once more, not at all concerned with how long or how much she uses it… with the Silent Dragon teaching her proper control and spells to keep her dragon form stable, she can spend minutes… hours running around with the increased speed and more importantly, the ability to glide. She takes a running start, then leaps into the air, proceeding to activate one of the many Dragon Veins she’s placed around the islands.

And what do all of those random Dragon Veins do?

She spreads her draconic wings as she feels an incredibly powerful rush of air pushing her body up. If her dragon form could smile, she would, because there are few feelings better than this pseudo-flight. Being able to see her homeland from one horizon to the other in a way that usually only taking a portal can do. She giggles, though it comes out more a fractured roar. Alright so… it won’t be long before she can…

Redirect her path as she picks up some distant yells. Better safe than sorry, and besides… she’s the Princess of Valla, so she needs to be there for her people. Just like how Princess Hinoka strives to be there with hers. Corrin makes a sliding landing before shifting back… known or not, she’s not going to quickly approach anywhere in her dragon form, no… that form is too bulky, too intimidating, and that’s  **not** the image she wants. So, a ‘bit’ of magic and her custom Vallite armor turns into her Vallite Princess dress.

She comes across a town, one that could definitely use some work, erm… more so than the others.

The scene before her was simple, about a dozen more… immorally sound Vallites are trying to make off with some food.  _“The magic needs to be contained, we need to be able to properly grow food again…”_ She shakes her head and moves forward, head high, standing at her full height, and with her chest puffed up. And when she gets close enough?

“Put that food back.” Is all she says.

One-by-one they stop, “Oh crap… where’s our look-out?!” The ‘leader’ demands.

She narrows her eyes, “I don’t like asserting my position, but if you don’t comply, I’ll have to use force. Put the food back.”

“We’re  **starving** !” One of the men exclaim, “My entire farm has been ripped up from the ground, again!” Corrin’s face twitches with concern.

“A few of our cows simply floated off into the sky, two of them have calves on the way!” Another of the group. Corrin starts to feel the burden of a really tough decision coming up.

“We can still work something out, sirs. You don’t have to resort to thievery.” She calmly replies. “Please, put this village’s food back, and we can talk.” The ‘leader’ smirks, oh… Corrin is well aware of the one circling around. All she feels is a slight pressure on her back, followed by a horrified gasp. “And attempted assault on royalty.” She spins around at a far superior speed and snatches the m… woman, before placing her in front, then pushing her towards the rest. With their ‘assassin’ rendered useless, the men finally start hauling the food back in. “Thank you.”

“Wh-what can you do for us?” The leader stammers.

“I’ll tell you what I’ll do…” She looks between the four of them. It struck her that all of the thieves are just one family… a father, a mother, and two sons. Her heart aches at the thought. “Show me your farm, I can bring it back down from the sky. If your cows are still near the area, I can bring them down. I can re-root every last plant, then I’ll etch a Dragon Vein into the ground so that it won’t randomly fly off.” She raises her hand, “It isn’t a permanent solution, the magic within that Dragon Vein won’t last forever, but it will stay powered for a few decades. As for your cows… keep the ones you still have near that Dragon Vein.”

“Y-you can… do all of that?” The father of the family gasps. “Please do… we’ll give…”

“No, you won’t give me anything.” She firmly cuts him off. “I want you to live a peaceful life, and I promise that as your Princess, I’ll do what I can to give each and every one of you a stable life.” She offers a gentle smile. “Now, this farm…?”

* * *

Anankos was in the front halls of the castle when his daughter finally returned, looking magically spent… and a little physically drained. “Dear?” She’s been gone for most of the day, and while that isn’t anything new, she’s never returned this tired.

“Hello, father.” She offers that beautiful smile, with the only dirt being on her skin. “How was your day?”

“Dull, not much more to say.” He shrugs it off, “And you? What exactly did you do?”

Her smile turns sheepish, “I got caught up in a few tasks, helping out our people.” Anankos smiles, just like that, his concern is gone and he feels at ease.

“And that is?” He starts walking and she follows.

“While working on that present I told you about before, actually… on the way back I heard a yell and I went to go investigate. It turns out there was a theft in progress.” A pause as her voice turns solemn, “A family of four, their farm has been ripped up by the magic again…”

“I’m doing what…”

“Hold on, I’m not done.” She smoothly interrupts him, “In exchange for them returning the food, I promised I would help them out. So… I slowly brought their crops back down from the sky, rooted them all back in, managed to get one of their pregnant cows, and I carved a Dragon Vein into the ground, then applied stability to it. So… for the next decade or so, there won’t be any issues.”

“You’ve been making full use of Dragon Veins.” He points out.

She quickly nods, “Oh, yes I have! I got a number of Dragon Veins carved with wind so I can attain a sort of flight with them.”

He nods, “I’ve noticed… the overall magic in the air is decreasing a bit.”

“It is?” She tilts her head.

“I haven’t thought of that... carving Dragon Veins to reduce the overall magic level.”

“Well, you can teleport anywhere and can fly, and… yeah.” She shrugs.

“You are incredibly resourceful, daughter.” He praises.

She smiles, and even a small flush forms, “Thank you, father.”

A hefty pause, enough to where the two stop and Corrin looks up to Anankos with concern, “Corrin? I… have a… question.”

She nods, “Yes, father?”

“I… want some… advice.” Ah, that. “Mikoto was right in that regard. I never spoke of issues, I thought I could handle everything, even as Valla started falling apart.”

“Well… nobody’s perfect.” She tries to soothe his worries, “You’ve been living your life as an all-powerful god, it’s understandable that you would have trouble asking for help.”

And so wise, it’s amazing what all she can do at this age. What will she be like five years from now? A decade? A century? How long will she even live? “Do you remember when we were in Hoshido… during that sparring competition, and… I told you to hold off on that one topic?”

She slowly nods, “Yes, I do. I wanted to know what other big spells you casted.”

Anankos grits his teeth, “I did… this.” He raises his hand and shakily summons an image, a real-time magical scrying of King Garon. “He is the King of Nohr, Garon.”

“He looks awfully…” Corrin stops, “Father?”

“He was the King of Nohr.” He clarifies. “I couldn’t control myself, I… I had him killed, turned into a puppet and… that’s the reason tensions have been rising.” He chokes on a breath, “I was going to try and cause war.”

Corrin’s face slightly pales, she’s seen ‘this’ side of him a few times. It’s horrifying how his insanity will change him. This is why she tries her best to stick by his side, but… she also can’t ignore her people. “Father?”

“I want advice, how do I handle… this? Nohr will be devastated if their King just… died.” He lets the image fade…

And Corrin takes the time to think it over. Yes, Nohr will be struck hard if their King died, erm… again. King Garon is currently a puppet, under her father’s control, so… what if he snaps again? He could easily have Garon declare war, and that would break all the current relations. That’s not to mention how Garon’s reputation is probably already dropping, if her father wants war… then that means the people of Nohr are suffering, fueling a war machine.

On the other hand, if Anankos dropped the puppet spell, it would mean Garon would be at peace, the next in line would become King… or Queen, and that child can work to repair the damage done. Which would also lead to better relations with Hoshido. “Father? Can you… scry on the eldest child of Garon?”

Anankos tilts his head, but complies. “Very well? Crown Prince Xander.” A new image pops up, this one of a stern and proud man.

It honestly didn’t take much to see he’d make for a stable leader. Simply the way he walks and how he gives orders… the only potential problem would how he will handle his father abruptly dying, of course there is also the matter of his age. He might ‘look’ ready, but that doesn’t mean he is ready. “Okay.” She nods.

He lets the image fade, “What do you suggest?”

“I think it would be for the best if Garon’s soul can be lain to rest for peace, but… don’t make the death immediate, slowly stop feeding life into him, as to better emulate old age. I’d say… over the course of a few months.” She raises a hand, “And after about two years, I want to make a visit. One for Lilith, the other to give our… condolences. The two years will be out of respect.”

As soon as she said that, the gravity of what she advised struck her hard. She’s… she is calling for someone to  **die** . But…  _“Is he really alive in the first place? Garon is only a puppet right now, he has been dead for… I don’t even know how long. This is for the best.”_

Anankos offers a grim expression, “Thank you, daughter. That was very informative. I will follow through with this.”

Corrin gulps, then nods. It’s for the best, it’s for the best in the long run… just like expending all of that magic for those wind-based Dragon Veins…

* * *

The following two years was the slowest crawling years of Corrin’s life. Everyday she felt the weight of that decision on her, because no matter how she reasoned with herself, it didn’t change the fact she ordered a death. Still, she managed to ease her mind and pass the time by slowly bringing more stability to Valla, her homeland.

She’s also grown quite well over those two years. Her magical potential has practically skyrocketed, as she has been asking for more ways to apply her magic to help. Her body has developed in a more pronounced manner, and… well, her father made her a new sword. Not just any sword, as for her eighteenth birthday…

* * *

Princess Corrin of Valla looked around her castle in awe. Father has never been too keen on birthday parties, primarily stemming from the fact that such things get ‘dull’ after the first two-hundred years, but this time? He was making an exception. Corrin is now a fully-grown woman, and he wanted to make sure she felt like it. There were a multitude of new banners waving around, proudly stating the fact that ‘Princess Corrin’s 18th birthday’, and a number of other… pampering-style messages about the things she’s done.

There’s even a stack of gifts from the people of Valla. She’ll make doubly sure that those are used in such a manner to better their lives. She has enough, she has her father, she has a homeland to prosper, she has people to take care of. Her people needs more than…

Corrin blinks her eyes, her line of thinking has become increasingly ‘her people’, ‘her kingdom’... a feeling that fuels more pride in her chest. She truly does  **love** her people, the Vallites, and she’ll make sure that Valla is fully repaired, so that it can become the kingdom that… well, she’s never known its ‘true glory’. As far as she can remember, her kingdom has been fractured. Floating pieces of land, trees that are in the air.

However, what truly surprised Corrin at the start of it was…

Well, the Hoshidan royalty made a trip to Valla. Except Sumeragi, who was far too boiled down with his duties… but! Mother made it in his stead. Well, that is what it seemed at first… until it became apparent that Takumi also wasn’t there. “Princess Corrin.” Ryoma bows, “It has been far too long, hasn’t it?”

It also surprised her when he took her by the hand and offered a kiss. It seems as if his Princely duties have been pressed a bit harder on him. “Please, just Corrin.” She tries, “Two years, right? I wish I visited sooner.”

“Eh, you’ve had stuff to do, right?” Hinoka, more casually, walks up… despite the disapproving look from mother. “You weren’t kidding… Valla is… different.”

“I-It’s b-beautiful in it’s o-own way…” Sakura slowly walks up and gives Corrin a deep bow. “I’m gl-glad to see you are… well, Pr-Princess Corrin. Um… Happy Birthday!”

“My son, Prince Takumi, is ridden with the flu.” Mother offers as she bows, “Otherwise he would be present. D… Princess Corrin.”

“Well, I’m glad to see you all again.” Corrin smiles, wearing her usual Vallite dress. “I hope you enjoy your time here… I’ve really been working on getting Valla stable.”

Sakura squeaks, “Y-You haven’t been p-pushing yourself too… much, right?”

The truth? Or ease her worries? “Don’t worry, Lady Sakura… I know my limits.” She compromises. “Besides, every day I spend out there while using a lot of my magic… the next day it seems my body copes and I have even more to work with.” It’s a… strange feeling, really. While she knows she is far from the power that father holds, she feels like the raw magical power she has can… if she dares to think this way, level several towns.

And that scope of power is  **exactly** why she does not show it off with so little care. Everytime she is about to use a huge dose of magic, she lets everyone in the area know exactly what she is about to do. One of her fears is that, well… people fearing her for what she is.

A demi-god.

She doesn’t linger too long in her dragon form, as she wants her people to see her as a human, not a dragon. She tries to separate her huge spell casts into several smaller ones, she doesn’t want to frighten them by moving a chunk of land without warning. She makes sure not to use her physical capabilities to, say… smash boulders with a single hit, she doesn’t want to be seen as a power-hungry tyrant.

“W-well, I’m glad…” Sakura bows again, “You are… very w-wise, Princess Corrin.”

“And you are a generous woman, Lady Sakura.” Corrin compliments in kind. “Lady Hinoka? I’m sure you are still making your rounds across Hoshido?”

“Heh, you bet.” She chuckles.

“And Lord Ryoma… uh… that’s a… nice suit?” A smile creeps onto her face.

Said man shifts around uncomfortably, “I’d rather have my armor on…” He mutters.

Corrin shrugs, “Then wear your armor.”

“I couldn’t… this is a…”

“Lord Ryoma…  **you** are  **my** guest this time, and I want you to feel comfortable. If you rather wear your armor, then go wear your armor.”

“Does that mean I can wear my armor, too?” Hinoka asks, sounding far too excited for that.

“Sure.”

“How about my naginata?”

“Daughter!” Mikoto finally speaks up.

Corrin looks around, “Lady Hinoka? Just admit it… you want to spar.”

Another laugh from her, “Saw right through me.”

A pause, “Well we did agree on next time I visited.”

“Fair enough.” Hinoka lets the matter drop.

“So…” Corrin claps her hands, “How about I show you all around Valla a bit?”

“Dear… I should be the one handling that.” Anankos walks in, looking rather exhausted. “Prince Ryoma, Princess Hinoka, Princess Sakura… and Queen Mikoto.”

“Hello, King Anankos.” Ryoma bows.

“Greetings, King Anankos.” Hinoka follows up.

“It’s… good to meet you again, King Anankos!” Sakura squeaks a bit.

“If I may say, you look tired, King Anankos.” Mikoto is the last to bow.

Corrin glances from her to father… there’s no denying that, but she knows the source of his exhaustion, it isn’t physical, it isn’t magical… it’s mental. Slowly but surely, Anankos is losing his grip and its becoming harder for him to keep as sane as he usually is. “The Crown is a heavy burden, Queen Mikoto.” He replies.

“Perhaps I could relieve some of the stress that might be on you, King Anankos?” Mikoto asks.  _“Uh, what?”_ Corrin tilts her head. “Could we talk… alone?”

Father glances at Corrin, then gives a calm nod, “For some time, yes… this  **is** my daughter’s birthday, after all.”

Corrin smiles, though it’s mainly a shield to prevent her concern from showing too much, “We won’t be long, father!” She tries to assure him, before turning towards the Hoshidan siblings. “Would you like to see some of my homeland?” Her smile turns brighter and far more genuine.

“Do y-you have any… flowers unique to V-Valla?” Sakura asks.

Corrin nods, “Several, though some of them might take a while to get to…” A pause, “Not to mention you might get disoriented getting to them.”

“Why’s that?” Hinoka asks.

She clicks her tongue, “They grow on the walls in a cavern system that was formed upside-down.” She received the expected ‘disbelieving’ looks, “You can’t just walk on the ‘ground’ either, if that’s what you’re thinking… the second you enter these types of caves, the gravity shifts and you’ll be walking on the ‘roof’ and… well, if you aren’t used to Valla, then your body will think you are hanging upside down. So… I would actually advise against looking for that specific flower.” Which is a shame, because it has to be one of the most beautiful.

“I-Is there no way to… w-well.” Sakura makes a small plucking motion.

“It will disintegrate before it leaves the cave. This is an incredibly picky flower.” She rubs the back of her head, “And due to how erratic the magic is, I haven’t figured out how to replicate the conditions to grow one here.”

Sakura tilts her head, “Do you… have a flower garden?”

Corrin’s face beams, “Yes! Let’s go there first, just… be prepared for some really strange locations. And…” A pause, while her expression turns a bit more serious, “A lot of them are ‘look and don’t touch’, while a few are ‘keep your distance while looking’, though they are all in specified areas that are properly marked and labeled. So… let’s go!” Oh, this will be fun!

* * *

Anankos eyes his daughter as she and the Hoshidan siblings follow her through the castle… if he had to guess, they are going to the flower garden, one of his daughter’s most prized possessions. “King Anankos?”

“I must admit, I’m surprised you came.” His voice comes out flat. “I would’ve expected King Sumeragi to arrive while  **you** dealt with the work.”

She takes a breath, “I wish to finish what was left unsaid.” At least she looks regretful. “Anankos… I deeply apologize for what I’ve done, what I’ve said.”

“What’s done is done.” He repeats his words from last time.

She reaches into her Queen’s outfit and pulls out a sheet of paper, “I truly thought you were lost, which is why I never brought it up to anyone…”

He glances at the offered paper, before grasping it. “Annulment of marriage…” He mutters, before scoffing, “Does it matter now? You’re sleeping with Sumeragi, you’ve assumed the role of their mother, you’ve married that man.” He hands it back, breathe… breathe.

“I do not intend to anger, I only wish to cover the rest of the topics.”

“You came to annoy me.” He reaches for his hood…

“Please, don’t hide your face from me. Instead of skirting around it, let’s just finish the rest off, so that we may fully move on.” A pause, “I’m not longer silent on this matter… the night after you and Corrin left, I sat awake in bed, and I told my love everything. My origin, my childhood, my life in Valla, the wonders I saw… how we met, the way you held me… I spoke of the intimacy, how you felt like the world to me. How I looked past your godhood and saw a man worth loving. Good, bad, I shared it all… because that is how a marriage is supposed to work. Not once did he question my love for him, not once did he question that I was truly in love with you.” She reaches into her dress once more, “I never threw mine away, because I wanted to believe there was a chance… and he understood that. Not even a single sliver of anger showed after I presented the wedding ring you gave me, nor the one you dropped from your finger.” Two rings are in her hand.

She kept hers… just as he did hers. “...and there were many nights I had thought that what happened was merely a part of my dreams.” He cracks, but willing to ‘get this over with’. “What about the Royal children?”

She shakes her head, “I haven’t told them. I couldn’t bring myself to.” She gives him a more somber gaze, “About her youth… Corrin.”

He was about to just dismiss her, but… “What do you want to know?”

“Did she ever ask for me?”

“No.” His tone is harsh, but truthful, “I told her that neither her mother or sister was here, and she left it at that. She… wanted to care for me more than anything. Then she started extending her power to aid Valla, the people love her… maybe more than me.”

Mikoto smiles, “You raised her well.”

“I wasn’t going to lose her.” He bites back.

“And her thoughts after we parted last time?” She asks.

“Her opinion was low, but she told me she could clearly see both sides. She understood why you left. Mikoto, she doesn’t hate you, but I wouldn’t try to force yourself closer.” A tinge of hurt… he does still care after all.

“I wasn’t expecting to be welcomed back.” She sighs, “Have you visited Lilith yet?”

“No, we haven’t.” He simply replies. “Valla has kept us busy.” She places the ring and paper back… then pulls out yet a  **third** item, this time a small box, wrapped up neatly. “For my daughter?”

“You, actually… an apology.” A pause, “I have her gift waiting outside, for what it’s worth. So… here.” She extends it forward.

He looks it over once more, then accepts it. What could she have gotten him? Does she really think a simple gift will undo what’s been done? Give him enough reason to finally let this matter drop? He gently unwraps it. Mikoto bites her lip as she awaits his response. Through the gift wrap and into the box itself. “...how?” He asks.

“Months of slow, careful, and delicate work… magic, tests and tests, time and time again, but I managed to do it.”

Inside the box is another container, but this one is for a flower, one that glows in several different shades of color, several of them being different intensities of blue. “Water’s Dream…” His voice chokes. A flower unique to Valla, one that has absorbed a huge amount of magic… an abnormally large amount of magic… an amount so high that the surrounding area is distorted, meaning it lives in its own reality.

The normal natural laws and even many normal magical laws don’t apply in these areas. If you walk in, you’ll ‘fall’ to the ‘ceiling’. Things that look sharp can be dull, things that look hot and make steam can be lukewarm. The entire cavern system is also ‘submerged’ in water, but you can breathe just fine. The flower, Water’s Dream, grows within the most magically dense sections of these caverns. You  **need** high magical resistances to approach these sections, because the magic is potent enough to rip most people apart.

And she managed to replicate the environment within a wooden box.

“I readied this over a year before I was found to be pregnant. I saved it for the day that Corrin and Lilith could walk around and understand the world… I wanted this flower to rest as the centerpiece in a garden.” Her eyes tear up, “I spent so much time in those caves, wanting to recreate the environment with pure magic.” She looks away, “I want you and Corrin to have it. This will be the last time I will actually seek out a meeting. If we ever meet again, it will be during an official calling.”

“Thank you.” He states. “My daughter will love this.” He can’t remember the amount of times she’s brought up wanting to expand on her flower garden… the one she cultivates and maintains through her magic. He can still clearly recall the huge smile on her face whenever she grew a new flower or bush… yes, this will truly be the centerpiece of her garden…

* * *

Corrin’s chest fills with pride as she breathes in the many scents found within her garden. Every single last plant in here is of her doing… on top of all the other work she chooses to do. “By the… g-gods.” Sakura breathes, “All of th-these colors and…” She turns towards Corrin, the sight is enough to seem to make her break down into tears, “This is… divine.”

“Huh… not used to a lot of these, but… I like it.” Hinoka comments.

“Thank you! It took me a few months before I could properly regulate the magic here so I’d only have to check up on them about once every few days.” She proudly states.

“Do you… not have a gardener?” Ryoma asks as he looks over a particularly fiery-red one… then startles as the flower literally lets out a puff of fire.

“Please, keep in mind which section you are in.” Corrin advises, “But no, I don’t. At the end of the day, this garden is a ‘want’, so I need to be the one to take care of it.”

Hinoka snaps her head up, then tilts it, “Is that a… Dragon Vein? In here?” She turns towards Corrin.

“Oh, yes!” Corrin easily weaves her way around the garden, “I recently etched that in here. Ever since father taught me the runes, I’ve been making so many Dragon Veins!”

“You can… make them?” Ryoma asks.

“Yes!” She giggles as she moves over the green tinted Earth-aligned Dragon Vein, “Would you care to see a little display?”

“Brother, let’s not forget she’s the daughter of a First Dragon.” Hinoka snidely remarks, “But uh, sure… whaddya got?”

Corrin draws from the Dragon Vein, smiles and says only, “A flower dance.” The earth-based magic rushes out of the Dragon Vein. All of the various flowers started ‘shaking’ for a bit, before each one released exactly two petals. Those petals went up and into the air before sort of ‘flying’ around the room in various shapes and designs. All manners of color are in the air, though there is a slightly noticeable number for shades of blue.

This  **is** Valla, after all, the ‘Land Beyond the Waves’. A world  **made** by her father, the Silent Dragon, a First Dragon that is attuned to water. She smiles and giggles as the magic continues to work… its magic. She spins in place, taking in the sight of these petals. “Princess Corrin?” Sakura is beside her, looking up to her with widened eyes… kind of like how Corrin does with her father. “I-Is it okay if I… admit s-something?”

“Sure thing.” She offers a genuine smile.

“Wh-when I first heard that you were… well.” She pauses, “The daughter of th-the Silent Dragon, I was expecting…” She trails off.

“Someone scary? Intimidating?” Corrin finishes for her. “I won’t lie, I know I’m powerful, I know I’m capable of terrifying feats… but why would I? I don’t want my people to see me like that.” She flashes her Dragonstone, “I could travel almost solely in my dragon form, I could do this or that, but I don’t. There’s a question I always ask myself… ‘How will be reflected by my people? Will they adore? Fear?’ I’ve decided I want to be someone that can be loved and respected, so I am very careful on what I show.” She smiles, “If there is  **ever** a time where I need to expend a lot of my magic, I make absolutely sure that everyone in the affected area knows beforehand.” She raises a finger, “Having and earning power is one thing,” second finger, “Using it wisely is another.”

“I like that thinking.” Hinoka smiles, as the petal dance has slowly died down, so now the petals are floating to the ground, “I think you’ll make the perfect Queen.”

Yet again, Corrin knows that the statement is made in good manners, but… this time? “I’d rather not think about ruling right now. I love my father, I need to make sure he’s well.” She bites her lip and hesitates. Should she share some of the more… sensitive details? They know he’s one of the First Dragons, but would they comprehend the sheer scope of the potential problem? Mo… Mikoto may have made a brash decision, but her fears are justified.  **If** father did end up dipping into insanity, Hoshido and Nohr could very well fall, everything could be undone. “I need to tell you all something very important.” She finally decides, “Something that can’t get out…”

“Only if you are comfortable sharing this.” Ryoma states, “If you are, then on my honor, whatever you tell me will never leave my lips.”

“You’re a great person, Princess Corrin.” Hinoka nods, “And a great friend, I like how you easily push aside the ‘princessy’ things to actually make a difference in your kingdom, so… yeah. If you share anything and don’t want it out, you can count on me.”

“Y-You can trust me.” Is all Sakura replies with.

“I love my father,” Corrin repeats, “I need to make sure he’s well… because he isn’t always well. What he has isn’t a sickness that can be cured with rest and medicine.” She grips her hands tighter… she’s never really delved into this topic in an open manner. Or rather, yes… she spoke of it with her father, but that’s it. “Father is… deteriorating, mentally that is. The only thing I can do is slow down the process, we… we both know that if I was taken with my mother, then he would have lost his sanity.”

“King Anankos is… insane?” Hinoka asks. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I’m following.”

“He is fine most of the time, but he is slowly losing himself. The reason I don’t want to think about ruling is that that would mean something will happen to father.” Her mood drops, “I’m truly terrified to say that death would actually be a better outcome then him losing himself. He  **is** still a First Dragon, the damage that could be done if he…” She shivers. “It can get overwhelming… helping my people, making sure father is okay… that’s part of why I started up this garden, it’s so… peaceful. I can stroll around for a few minutes and just feel… okay. Like the world isn’t crashing down.”

To her surprise, Ryoma nods, “It is a heavy burden, isn’t it? Being the next in line. I have similar thoughts at times… how will my life change, once father passes the crown to me? I feel like I’ll never be ready. Father isn’t just a great king, but also a legendary Swordmaster… I honestly have no idea how he’s managed to uphold both at the same time.” He chuckles, while briefly rubbing the back of his head, “I have a hard enough time keeping up with my classes, and I still have a relative amount of freedom. If I’m not studying, I’m training… I can’t imagine adding in a secondary hobby.”

Hinoka laughs, “And then there’s me… who takes every opportunity to skip out on my classes.”

“Y-You really should at least try t-to be there…” Sakura states, “We h-have an image to uphold.”

“Heh, and I make my image by making sure Hoshido is safe.” She puffs her chest in pride.

Corrin finally lets out a giggle, “I’m glad we can be friends, like… real friends, not just because we’re all royalty and we ‘should get along’.”

“And uh… could this ‘real friend’ get a spar in?” Hinoka asks.

“B-Big sister!” Sakura squeaks, “G-gods, big brother isn’t… wrong in that r-regard!”

“And it seems like all you do is use your Festal, dear little sister.” Ryoma smiles. “You heal as much as we train.”

Hinoka whistles, “Whew… busted.”

Sakura looks from Hinoka to Ryoma, “W-well… there’s a difference!” Corrin smiles.

“Yeah, sure… and let’s discuss that over a round of sparring.” She raises her eyebrow at Corrin.

“Just one… dinner won’t be long.” Corrin agrees.

* * *

The feast presented wasn’t nearly as massive as the one in Shirasagi over two years ago. The main reason being that Valla simply doesn’t have the same variety. The ‘fruit section’ is all but barren, as is the vegetables, and the meat is stuck somewhere between cow and deer. There is a reason that neither Corrin or Anankos held any sort of formal event here, and that is she knows there isn’t enough to host a proper party. She’s pretty sure they are strapped enough for food with the half-dozen here right now.

...Besides, even if they did have it, Corrin would insist on letting the Vallites keep their food. A sentiment that she is sure the Hoshidan Royals would agree on. One distinct thing that Corrin noted during the meal, however, is the lowered tension between her parents. A fact that causes her to smile… yes, she will forever be hurt by mother’s decision, but at the end of the day… Mikoto  **is** her mother, and no child should hate their parents. On top of that, if her father is able to move on, then that’ll be less stress on him, which means he can keep his sanity longer.

Corrin locks eyes with her father, and the two share a smile. Mother and the Hoshidan siblings are chatting with each other, primarily about the garden that Corrin showed them, before the topic of Hinoka and Corrin sparring came up… something mother disapproved of. Corrin  **almost** lost to Hinoka in a duel of pure skill. It is only due to the lack of a Pegasus that Corrin won. Three to two.

“...do pardon me.” Her father rises, “I need a few moments to properly collect my daughter’s present. Please, continue.” He smoothly walks out.

“I wanna go first!” Hinoka shoots up without a second’s hesitation.

Corrin giggles, “Alright, go on ahead.”

“Sweet.” The Sky Knight quickly departs.

“B-Big sister’s been talking about this f-for a while…” Sakura smiles.

“I’ll admit, I’m ready to give mine, but… I suppose I can wait for Hinoka.” Ryoma leans back.

“I’ll… gift mine at the end, when we’re alone.” Mikoto states, to which Corrin nods. It must be a ‘motherly’ gift.

“Alright, here we go!” Hinoka, not so carefully, hauls in a small-sized box. “From me to you… one ‘active’ Princess to another!”

Another giggle, “Alright, so…” Part of her wanted to send out a pulse of magic to ‘guess’ it correctly, but… maybe some other time. “Hm.” She carefully undoes the wrapping, then goes to open the box itself.  _“A gift befitting an ‘active’ Princess… armor, maybe? No…”_ She doubts Hinoka would get her anything combat-related, so… maybe something that would decorate her armaments? She finally gets around to opening it and she is greeted with a fine ruby-red cloth, “Huh?” She tilts her head as she pulls it out. It is lined with Hoshidan writing, but… it isn’t the current style, since she actually can’t read it.

“Honor, duty, tradition, and family.” Hinoka supplies. “This is an older style of a battle accessory, something that warriors would wear into battle to remind them of the cause they fight for. The also usually sew on additional mementos to make each one personal. And while it isn’t required, they are usually worn on the upper arm.”

“Wow…” Corrin gasps as she strokes the fine silk, “This is beautiful. I’ll gladly wear this with my armor set.” She gives Hinoka a huge smile, “I love it… thank you!”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Do you have one?” She quickly asks.

“I do, I wear it while I’m on my patrols around Hoshido. I had a Cherry Blossom tree, an arrow, and a lightning bolt sewn into mine… Sakura, Takumi, and Ryoma respectively.”

Ryoma politely coughs, “Even though our father still has the Rajinto.”

“And I’m telling you, it’ll choose you next.” She moves back to her seat.

“...If you say so, sister.” Ryoma rises up, “Well, I suppose I’m next, so…” Instead of walking out though, he just reaches into his suit, “I do apologize if mine isn’t as… significant. Gifts aren’t my strongpoint.” He hands over a simple box.

“If he can’t hit it, it isn’t a strongpoint.” Hinoka snickers, while Ryoma rolls his eyes.

“It’s the thought that counts.” Corrin tries to assure him. So, a gift from another combat-focused person… what could he have gotten her? Though, she does think that Hinoka’s can’t be out-done out of the Hoshidan Royals. She was truly surprised at the emotional weight behind hers. “So, we got a…?” She pops open the box.

“Perhaps I should’ve went with the other one…” He mutters, suddenly uncertain.

“It’s… adorable!” Corrin smiles as she pulls out a small flower-hairpin. “I think you did just fine, Prince Ryoma.” It’s colored in the Hoshidan royal red… a beautiful way to represent unity. Corrin quickly decides to wear it right now, up far enough to where it’ll be visible even with her battle armor’s helmet on. “Thank you!”

He falters, perhaps not expecting her to truly like it, “Well… you’re welcome, Princess Corrin.” He bows.

Which leaves… “M-my turn!” Sakura squeaks, “So, um…” She walks up, reaches into her dress, and brings out her hands, which are clasped together. “I know you… al-already must h-have a lot of jewelry, but… I-I thought of you when I saw i-it.” She hesitantly smiles as she opens her hands.

“Aw, it’s so cute!” A small pendant with the Dawn Dragon rests in her relatively small hands. Corrin gently picks it up, “And She almost looks just as father described Her!”

Which causes Sakura to jump in place, “K-King Anankos…?!”

“Yes?” Corrin tries to laugh it off, “The Dawn Dragon is one of the First Dragons… of course father knows about them.” She places the pendant around her neck, “All of these gifts are wonderful! Thank you!” She abruptly hugs Sakura, who quickly returns it. A few moments later, the embrace is broken and Sakura returns to her seat.

And almost as if on que, father returned. “Again, pardon the sudden departure, but…” He looks rather weary again, “Daughter? Several years ago, I swore to myself that if things were still stable,” She knows he’s referring to his decaying sanity, “That I would forge a better weapon when you reached full adulthood.”

Corrin nods, and meets him halfway… every eye is on them. “A… better one? Father… the one I have is perfect.”

“I wanted something that better represented Valla, something more personal. You’ve improved Valla in great bounds, the citizens love you as their Princess.” A light begins to form in his hand, while he holds his hand closed in a way that represents gripping a handle. “You weren’t the only one working on a present for a lengthy time… I’ve slowly been forging this for years.” The light turns into a water-blue appearance as it slowly takes the form of a sword. “Daughter, I didn’t forge you just any sword this time…” He ‘lets go’ of the ‘handle’ and it finally takes a definite form.

From the pommel up to the crossguard is a deep-blue metal in the same shade as her hair. Three gems rest on this section, one on the very end of the pommel itself and the other two on either end of the crossguard. A light-blue gem rests in the pommel, like an ocean-blue, her father’s hair color. Both of the crossguard gems are a ruby red, like Corrin’s eyes… in fact, she can even make out a ‘slit’ for the pupils, one in each gem. The blade itself is shaped like a dragon’s fang, one that nearly dwarfs her current sword. The blade is pure-white, though there are several lines of gold stretching the length. Runes are etched into the blade, providing far more powerful enchants than a ‘simple’ spell cast. “Father…” She breathes.

“‘Calm before the storm. Deep within lies peace and love. Capable of sustaining life… but if it is ever stirred, it can take it away just as fast. Powerful, torrential, planet-changing. As I am attuned to water, so are you. May your allies know you for the peace and love you bring… may your foes fear you for the power and rule you wield.’” Every word is backed with a magical force, each word causes the blade to pulse. “From my own I crafted this… a fang from the Silent Dragon. Made within the most magically chaotic area in Valla, a place I have personally sealed off. My gift to you is the Resting Storm, a Divine Weapon solely for my daughter.”

Father made her a… Divine Weapon? He truly has been busy, hasn’t he? “I… father.” She chokes on her words. She slowly reaches out, almost hesitant to grip the handle. She can feel it calling out to her, the peace that is giving her, like how her Dragonstone does, yet… she can also feel the rage hidden within. “Resting Storm…” She echoes as she pulls it out of the ground. “Father?”

“I love you, daughter.” Is all he supplies.

She swings it out, around, and then sheathes it. It already feels so natural. “I love you too, father.” The two hug.

Even without her battle armor on the ready, the sheer presence from Resting Storm alone is enough to give Corrin an incredibly formidable outlook… which is exactly why father included a way to ‘dismiss’ it. When it isn’t in use, it will literally turn into water that ‘scatters’ across her body, this was primarily done for her dragon form, since it will greatly empower it, on top of already increasing her abilities further than the previous sword did.

So, with most of the presents handed out, a day of fun, the Hoshidan royalty are about to leave, though Mikoto does hold one more moment with Corrin. “Da… Princess Corrin.”

“No… go ahead and call me what you want to… mother.” Corrin states.

Which is enough to bring her to tears, “Daughter… daughter, daughter.” Without wasting another second, she moves to hug her, “I’m so sorry, I’m so… so… so sorry. I’ve brought all of this pain on you and your father, and…” Words dissolve into a ramble.

Corrin returns the hug, “I’m hurt by it, I’ll probably always be hurt by it, but… you’re still my mother and it would be wrong to hate you. I’m… glad to know you’re okay, that you’re alive.”

“I still love you, I always did and always will. No matter what.” She whispers.

“And I love you too, mother.” Corrin whispers back. “Be safe, okay?”

“You too, I mean… I know what you can be capable of, but… don’t push yourself too much.” The two break the hug, but they hold on to each other’s hands. Mother really does seem far more relaxed, she must’ve had an intense talk with father. “Happy birthday, daughter.” She plants a single kiss on her forehead.

“Thank you, mother.” She returns it in kind. “I’ll see you some other time, okay?” She flashes her best smile.

She nods, “Some other time…” She finally backs away and starts walking.

A few moments pass and, “Father?” She suddenly asks.

“Yes, dear?”

“Can we have that trip to Nohr soon?” She turns to look.

“...of course, daughter.” He nods.

* * *

Nohr has an immediate difference when compared to Hoshido. The sun is lacking, clouds reign over the sky, the ground is barren, and the trees are few. In a way, the plant life mirrors Valla, but instead of random trees, bushes, and other flowers floating in the air, there simply isn’t any of that out here. Corrin is incredibly thankful that father chose to open a portal relatively close to Windmire, rather than having that long walk like they did to Shirasagi.

Once more her Vallite dress is her outfit of choice, though the Hoshidan flower hairpin is in her hair and the Dawn Dragon pendant is… located right under her dress, actually. She was actually quite concerned about wearing these in, since they are clearly Hoshidan and she doesn’t want to get the wrong message across. Lastly, while it can’t be seen clearly, a keen eye would note that her skin sort of… glistens. This is a sign that Resting Storm is ‘on’ her right now.

Her stomach tightens a bit, sure… it has been about two years since father stopped feeding life into King Garon and now the King is Xander, but… it didn’t change the fact she advised a death. In fact, this time it was Corrin who remained silent as the two walked, as she was too trapped in her own thoughts. She wasn’t sure how to approach King Xander. She takes a breath and hopes for the best…

* * *

Anankos and Corrin were let through Windmire and into Krakenburg with little hassle. Everything was quick and orderly, the guards were snappy and professional as the two were guided towards the throne room without a single fault. It eased Corrin’s mind to know that they’ve received such training, it reassured her that Xander was the right one to make king. Soon enough, the two entered through the throne room, where a… scene played out.

“I’ve had it, Iago!” King Xander stands tall, his own Divine Weapon radiating its color through the sheathe, “You’ve had your chances. Take your personal belongings and leave. You. Are. Fired!”

“But… your Highness, I…” From the very appearance, Corrin determined she didn’t like Iago. His magical aura reeked of Dark Magic.

“And if I hear that you even raise a single Wind spell in the general direction of  **my** kingdom, I assure you it will be the last mistake you ever make.  **Leave** !” His voice booms as he lets out a sigh, then sits back down. “Ah, my apologies.” Immediately his persona shifts and he is far more regal-looking. “King Anankos of Valla… Princess Corrin of Valla. I am King Xander of Nohr, and I welcome you to my kingdom.” He glares once at Iago as he scurries off, before giving the Vallite royalty a more respectful look.

“Greetings, King Xander.” Anankos responds, then goads Corrin forward.

“Good evening, King Xander.” Corrin bows as she takes a few steps forward, “My father and I had planned to visit sooner, but we wanted to give you a proper respite after learning of your father’s passing… from us to you, please accept our deepest condolences.”

“Father…” Xander pauses, “Thank you for your thoughts, Princess Corrin and King Anankos.” He rises once more, but this time he walks towards them. “Thankfully, my father made sure I had the absolute best in education. The transition happened relatively smoothly.” Once closer, he offers a bow to both her and her father, “Again, thank you for taking the time to visit… is there anything I can do for you?” He extends and arm, a notion to start walking, which they do.

Father looks at Corrin, “Not much more than a simple visit, your Highness.” She answers.  _“Father really wanted me to lead things off this time.”_ “Though… there is one more matter.”

“If it’s within my power, I’ll do what I can.”

“I’m looking for my sister, because mother has… taken her away when she left. Father was able to figure out her location is in Nohr, but… she has figured out how to cast redirectional spells. Her name is Lilith.” She supplies.

And to her surprise, recognition lines his eyes, “Lilith?” He rubs his chin for a moment, “Perhaps it was fate that you were to arrive here today, then. Now, while I can’t guarantee this might not be another woman named Lilith… Krakenburg had recently a new stablehand named that.” He nods.

“Wow, King Xander… you keep track of many small details it seems…” Corrin smiles.

“I have to, there has been a lot of…” He lowers his voice, “Insurgences within the noble ranks. That man I just fired? Iago? He held the King’s Tactician role, but he kept overstepping his boundaries, failing to get it into his head that I’m not my father.” He lets out a sigh. “It will take time to weed them all out.” So, father also had Garon get a number of corrupted nobles into his ranks? Perhaps to make things easier once the more ‘wild’ calls are made? “In any case, we’ll first travel to the stables, and hope that the Lilith there is the same one you are looking for.”

King Xander is proving the be the pinnacle of ‘get things done’. He didn’t waste a single breath on the way to the stables. Every step seemed to be taken in the most efficient manner. This man knows how to conserve resources. Not many conversations were held during this time, and that was instead spent on simply observing the surroundings. Where Shirasagi had bright colors, Krakenburg holds a more somber tone in colors. “King Xander, may I ask something?” Corrin suddenly brings up.

He chuckles, “Of course.”

“Do you have any siblings?” She smiles.

He slowly nods, “I do… many of them, in fact. Unfortunately due to a tragic line of events that we refer to as the ‘Concubine Wars’, not all of those children saw adulthood. In fact, there are only four left, including myself. Camilla, Leo, and Elise.”

“Do you think I’ll be able to see them before father and I have to leave?”

“Of course, I think you’ll warm up quickly to Elise.” He smiles, “Now then… I do have one request from Princess Corrin…” His face turns more stern, “There are few better ways to get to know someone than during a sparring match, care to join me?”

Corrin nods, “If you so wish.”

* * *

Corrin, Xander, and Anankos stepped into the practice area, to which the Silent Dragon took a seat to the side. The other two went straight for the arena itself. However, to Corrin’s surprise, Xander completely skipped the wooden swords. Instead, he simply drew his Divine Weapon from its sheath. “I’m sure you won’t mind if we take a more… reality-based sparring match?” Siegfried pulses with its energies. Standing tall with his armor and blade, Xander truly seems a powerful force…

“I cannot say I’m comfortable, but…” Magic passes through Corrin and she dons her armor set, she then reaches out with a hand and all of the small ‘glowing’ trails across her body ‘leak’ into her hand, to which Resting Storm forms. “All it takes is one unlucky maneuver, King Xander.” She frowns.

“I assure you, Princess Corrin, you will find no faults in my skill.” He states without a single shred of overconfidence. She can only imagine how much training he pushed himself through. She can tell in this moment this won’t be a ‘first to three direct hits’ like with Ryoma. Corrin assumes her stance, as does Xander, “On your ready, Lady Corrin.”

“Just blade?” She asks.

“I’d like to solely see your skill in your sword, Lady Corrin.” He nods.

“Very well, then I’m ready, King Xander.”

Unlike with Ryoma, Xander is moving the second Corrin gives her ready. She stands her ground as he brings Siegfried in. Corrin raises Resting Storm, and feels the vibrations ripple through as the two Divine Weapons make contact. He’s… Xander is actually incredibly strong, Corrin slightly faltered from that first blow. Without missing a beat, Xander pulls back and readies another strike. Corrin responds in kind with a swing of her own. The two weapons clang out…

There was a following shockwave from it.  _“Wow, he _ ** _is_ ** _ strong.”_ The two move back and go for another, then another. Corrin notes that Xander’s style is far more aggressive than Ryoma’s, though he also isn’t sacrificing any of his defense for it. Clang, clang, again and again, sword meets sword. Nohr and Valla, darkness and water. For every strike Corrin had, Xander countered. For every blow Xander provided, Corrin stopped.

First strike was made by Xander, though Corrin’s armor stopped the majority of it, not much more than a decent chip. Corrin struck back in kind, only managing to barely pierce his armor.  _“And his armor is incredibly well made.”_ Corrin followed up with a lower strike, though Xander sidestepped it and thrusted, to which Corrin slapped it away with her reinforced armor on the other arm. Corrin rounded another slice and made contact, still not enough to cleave into his armor! Xander kicked Corrin back and made his second connect, though to her surprise, it held enough force to cut into her armor… Drip drop. Corrin now has a small cut on her upper arm. The two blades meet again and Corrin lets Siegfried slide down her blade so she can make another slash.

Her Dragonstone is starting to glow, as the ‘spar’ is getting so intense that she stops thinking about  **not** using it.

Corrin strikes again, finally making her first real cut, though Xander seizes her by her other arm and throws her to the side. Corrin recovers within a second and dashes forward, becoming more fueled by her draconic heritage. Clash, cling… still Xander manages to keep up. One, two, three, the clashes are becoming so fierce that sparks are starting to ignite from the contact. Dodge, block, sidestep, duck, strike, once more the two are at a stalemate for getting any actual hits in.

“Ngh!” Corrin staggers back as Xander lands his second clean cut, this one deep enough to be a gash. Resting Storm starts pulsing. She strikes again, and this time Xander is sent back several feet, alongside being drenched in a layer of water. Corrin practically slides forward as she follows up with a speed that Xander can’t react to, again and again…

But Xander still manages to find his footing… against her chest. Another kick, then Siegfried glows… he lashes out, creating a black-red shockwave that cleaves through the nearby walls. Corrin lets out a growl as she moves to attack, and…

“Enough!” Her father shouts, a burst of magic exiting him so violently, which ends up creating two pools of water, tendrils reaching up to hold each of them still. “You two are getting out of hand! I’ve no problem with a ‘spar’, but this is becoming a real battle, look around you!” Siegfried and Resting Storm stop pulsing, the pools are dispersed, and the two look around.

The shockwaves that were coming from their attacks was so potent that this training area is essentially wrecked. There are so many different cracks in the walls and ceiling, holes in the ground, as well as small patches of dark-red fire are in several areas, while water has eaten into various spots. Corrin looks at Resting Storm, before dispersing it back into her body, the armor returns to a dress. “My apologies, King Xander. I had not realized things were rising so quickly.” She bows.

He sheathes Siegfried, “As am I. Princess Corrin, you have truly impressed me. It’s a shame we might never be able to have a real duel.” He smiles, “Now… shall we continue?” He asks, as if the room around them wasn’t almost completely demolished...

* * *

Father and King Xander pardoned themselves for some talking after they neared the stables. Corrin silently agreed it would be for the best, because if mother instilled any kind of knowledge to Lilith, it would be that ‘Anankos is bad’. Corrin enters the stable itself, seeing a lone woman, tending to a massive black steed. The magic from her alone was enough to know… “Excuse me?” Regardless, she doesn’t just shout ‘Lilith!’ or ‘Sister!’.

The slightly smaller framed woman startles, and Corrin is greeted with piercing yellow eyes and… a hair color that matches her father’s. “Yes? Do you need anything, ma’am?”

“Is… your name Lilith?” Corrin smiles.

She nods, “It is, am I needed?”

“My name is Corrin.”

She blinks her eyes, “Corrin?” She tilts her head as she looks her dress over. Her brush drops…

“Yep! As in sister!” Corrin nods, wanting to…

“Sister…” She echoes, “Did you get away from… him?” Corrin recoils at the word.

“Sister, you need to understand that…”

“What did he do to you?” She quickly asks. “Sister, you need to understand, he isn’t right, he…”

“Don’t say that! Do I look ‘evil’ to you?” Emotions well up, “The reason why mother left was due to a lack of communication. She felt…”

“Mother left because father was a lost cause. Here… I can teach you the spell that can keep him from tracking you down.” She supplies.

“Lilith, please listen to me, I…”

“I don’t want to lose you now…”

“Lilith!” Corrin exclaims. “Mother and father met recently, within the last few days. Father just held my eighteenth birthday party that day! Mother gave him a flower, they are on calmer terms now.”

“They… met?” Unfortunately, Lilith seems completely lost in whatever mother told her, “That would explain why the barrier she gave me wore off, he must have…”

“Lilith, sister. Please, stop talking like that.” Why won’t she listen?! It’s clear that offering to meet father would result in disaster, so… what else can Corrin do? “We’re family, we need to stick together.”

Lilith raises her hands, “I don’t know what he did to you, but he’s  **not** doing it to me! Just leave, please. I’m not going to him, he will stay away.” Magic pulses. She’s… she’s really going to go this path, isn’t she?

Her sister is completely lost in the lie that her father is dangerous. “Alright, then…” Corrin gives in. “Be safe, sister. I’ll always love you, I’ll always welcome you, and I hope you’ll come to see past what mother said.” She walks away, hurt beyond words. To be fair, Lilith has lived over eighteen years with the idea of ‘Anankos is evil’, so by now… she’s so lost in that line of thought that she can’t bring her out of it. Maybe with time…

Lilith didn’t even try to stop Corrin from walking away.

* * *

Dinner was held soon after. She was quickly escorted to the dining room, and she was greeted with a total of four faces. King Xander and his three siblings… “King Anankos had to excuse himself, Princess Corrin.” The King supplies, “He was seeming rather exhausted.”

Corrin’s heart ached, she should really head back now, then. She’d hate to leave him alone for, what… another few hours? “Hello, everyone.” Still, she puts on her smile and greets everyone.

“Oh, you are… absolutely adorable!” A purple hair-woman squeaks out, “My name is Camilla, Lady Corrin.” Her smile shows through.

“I am Leo, Princess Corrin.” A man with blonde-hair, like Xander, speaks up. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“Heya~! I am Elise! How’s it going, Princess Corrin?!” The youngest literally hops up from her seat with a huge smile, as with Leo and Xander, she also has blonde hair, though there are purple ribbons running the length of her ponytails.

Corrin smiles in kind, “Princess Camilla, Prince Leo, and Princess Elise, I’m pleased to meet you all.”

“If I may ask… your father is the Silent Dragon, correct?” Leo asks.

“He prefers to be referred to as a father first, a King second, and the Silent Dragon last… but, yes.” She echoes what he tells her.

“I see…” He leans forward, “And that would mean he has possession of some rare and powerful artifacts?” Ah, the intellectual type.

“Yes, Valla is filled with magical residue that hangs in the air, there are many objects that have been infused with this magic.”

“Fascinating… and what could I offer to observe these relics?”

“Brother, please…” Camilla sighs, “There are more important matters than some dusty old relics.” She smiles, “Like your dress! Gods, I’ve never seen such fine materials! What is it made of? How many tailors did your father requisition for it? Oh! And your hair…”

“Yeah! You are like the… best super most prettiest person I have eveeeer seen!” Elise nods.

“King Anankos spoke of how much your people adore you as well, Princess Corrin. It seems you work yourself throughout the entire day, before tending to your father in the evening.” Xander remarks. “Who manages your schedules?”

Corrin looks between all of them, all of those questions. “Prince Leo? We can discuss trade matters later, if you’d like. Princess Camilla? I… you’d actually have to ask my father for the materials, but he used his magic to assemble and enchant it himself. Princess Elise? Thank you, you are incredibly cute yourself! King Xander? I manage my own time, Valla is short-handed and any chance I can take to relieve some burden off of my kingdom is one I will take.”

The majority of the dinner passed like that. Leo and Camilla were the ones primarily asking questions, with Elise and Xander providing some extra details and topics. The food provided was better than what Corrin had at her birthday party, though there did seem to be a greater amount of meat when compared to fruits or vegetables. Wait… “King Xander? I have a question.”

“Yes, Princess Corrin?”

“Nohr is favored with ores and minerals, correct?” Her mind quickly works things over as she speaks. “Hoshido has great amounts of farmable land… Valla is strewn with latent amounts of magic.”

He nods, “Yes, Nohr does, but… I fail to see where you are going with this.”

“I think there is enough mutual interest and available resources to propose a three-way trade agreement.” Corrin starts off. “Valla needs to relieve its magical burden, and one way to do that is to simply consume the magic into enchantments. In removing excess magic, Valla can then become a fair land for plants. Nohr seems to be in need of proper agriculture, if Hoshido provides the seeds and soil, Valla can provide enchantments to make better use of those Hoshidan resources. Hoshido has relatively low amounts of ore and minerals, so Nohr could trade off some of their excess to Hoshido, and Valla could use our magic to directly implant those into Hoshido’s ground, which would in turn allow those resources to begin naturally producing in Hoshido.” She nods to herself, “In the end, all three countries would have their resources balanced out, all three would be equally great places to live, and we assure a never-ending peace!”

King Xander takes a moment to think, “Yes… I can see the logic behind this.” He nods. “Then perhaps, in the near future, we could coordinate a meeting between King Sumeragi, myself, and King Anankos with our respective advisers.”

“Brother… you just fired yours.” Leo points out.

He smiles, “Then I’m sure you’ll have no issue standing in for him?”

“...Assuming you don’t find someone else to fill this position, then yes.”

“King Xander? Father has been pushing me to fulfill more duties directly related to the Crown… so, there’s a chance I might be there in his stead.” Corrin states.  _“A fact I don’t like… in combination of his recent behavior.”_

“Very well.” He nods. “I look forward to the negotiations…” Then something seems to ‘click’, “Ah, I assume you found her?”

Corrin bites back a cringe, “I… did.” Her voice turns a bit more quiet, “I’m glad to see she’s well.”

“Do pardon my curiosity, but… who is ‘her’?” Camilla asks.

“We have reason to believe that Lilith, Krakenburg’s stable hand, is her lost sister.” Xander supplies.

“Oh! I know her! She is delightfully experienced with handling animals! My wyvern warmed up to her within one meeting.” Camilla laughs. “So, she’s your sister?”

“She… is.” Corrin deflates, “Thank you for informing me of her.”

“Darling? What’s wrong?” Camilla asks.

“Mother took her away when she was a child. Lilith has it stuck in her head that father is evil. I tried to convince her, but she wouldn’t listen… please, make sure she stays safe, okay?” Corrin asks. “We’re still family, after all.”

Without missing a beat, Xander responds with, “I understand. Lilith will have full access to any accommodations that she wishes for. My condolences for whatever may have happened.”

“Thank you, King Xander.” Corrin smiles.

Princess Camilla then abruptly claps her hands, “Now! Princess Corrin? We…”

“No way! Lemme tell her!” Elise boldly interrupts her big sister.

Camilla smiles, “Go ahead, dear Elise.”

“Aw, yeah!” Elise cheers, “So… Princess Corrin? Once we heard the news of a mysterious Vallite Princess visiting us, big sister and I agreed on wanting to get this person a gift! So! We spent like… all night going over things, making huge, long lists and really detailed drawings on what would work best!” She reaches under her seat, “The reason why we weren’t available earlier is because we ** just** found the perfect gifts!” Camilla also reaches under her seat and both of them present two boxed items. “Happy-Coming-To-Visit-Nohr-Day!” Elise smiles.

“Do open them now, dear… I’m confident you’ll love them.” Camilla assures her as the gifts are passed over.

“I’m happy that you two have put so much thought into finding a gift for me.” Corrin comments as she gently unwraps one. Inside this particular giftbox lies… a hairpin, a vibrant purple flower design. The Nohrian counterpart to the Hoshidan hairpin she already has. “Ooo…”

“Whaddya think? Pretty cute, huh?” Elise comments.

“It’s adorable, Princess Elise… thank you.” Without missing a beat, Corrin places it on the opposite side of her Hoshidan hairpin. “Then this one must be from you, Princess Camilla?”

“Yes it is, darling.” Camilla smiles. Nodding, Corrin opens the second gift. Corrin blinked her eyes as she pulled out one, two, three… a full set of matching clothes, all woven with warmth in mind. “I took rough estimates on the average woman’s size, I can have them adjusted before the day’s end.” Camilla offers.

“They’re so soft…” Corrin holds the sweater close. “Hm?” She then looks at the design of the sweater, On each side rests either the Brynhildr or Siegfried, in between the two has the Dusk Dragon, whose wings spread and reach over to the arms of the sweater, she then turns it around. “Oh! King Xander, Prince Leo, Princess Camilla, and Princess Elise…” But, it seems there’s an empty spot.

“And I’ll also need to get your figure in there, dear.” Camilla smiles. Talk about a personalized gift… whew. Corrin turns her attention to the leggings, which sport a combination of the Brynhildr’s signature tree, followed by a bolt from Siegfried, which comes together up near the crotch for a… erm. The Dusk Dragon’s mouth and the forked tongue is… yeah. “I had to make sure everything was lined up.” Another comment from her.

“This is really well thought out, Princess Camilla… thank you.” Even if it might be a little embarrassing to have the Dusk Dragon’s mouth and forked tongue sewn around the part of the leggings where her core is.

She nods, “And I’ll have the adjustments done before you leave.”

“Please, don’t push yourself so much… I can wait.” Corrin nods. “Really, just the idea that you both took time to get gifts for a simple visit is more than enough.”

“It’s no issue, Princess Corrin. We were delighted to have gotten gifts.”

“Yeah! Seeing smiles is like, the best thing ever!” Elise smiles. “I hope we get to make many more smiles in the future!”

Corrin giggles, “I agree with that.”

* * *

Princess Corrin bows once more as she stands outside of Krakenburg. “Thank you again… I apologize for the late notification on our arrival. I’ll also pray for your well-being.”

“It was an honor to have you here, Princess Corrin… please, send King Anankos my regards.” King Xander states.

“Oh… I wish I was able to have more time with you!” Camilla exclaims, “Perhaps next time?”

“I too, am looking forward to our next meeting…” Leo nods, “Perhaps I can observe the enchantments upon your armor?”

“Hey~! Speaking of wanting a good well-being…” Elise hops up and produces a small vial, “This is for King Anankos! A super-remedy made juuuust for him!” She hands it to Corrin. “Here ya go! Just one chug and he should be feeling awesome!”

“Thank you, Princess Elise.” Corrin gently grabs the vial and stashes it in her dress. “I will see you all again some other day!” Summoning her own magic, she turns and forms a small portal in the form of a puddle. “Be safe!” As like she always prefers to, she turns her back towards the portal and falls backwards. The brief weightlessness hits her, followed by a true free-fall. Corrin taps into her Dragonstone and glides through the air, diving almost straight towards the castle. She slides to a stop in front of the castle… just one more thing.

* * *

“Come on father, this way!” Corrin giggles as she leads her father over towards the present she’s been working on for the past four months.

Anankos is already looking far better, as whatever Elise brewed up proved to be incredibly potent… even for a First Dragon. “I can finally see what you’ve been working on?”

Corrin hums, “Well, it’s more like preparing.” She smiles, “I… might need some help getting home after this.” The smile turns sheepish.

“...very well.” He nods as they approach the end of one of the floating platforms. Directly across from this is a giant chunk of land that is positioned vertically… at least a mile away from where they stand. A single Dragon Vein rests at the edge. “Are you going to explain, first?”

Corrin nods, “On that chunk of land… I have three Dragon Veins etched into it. One near the center, and one on each extreme end. Of course, there is also this Dragon Vein.” She clears her throat. “The center Dragon Vein is imbued with Stability, when it is active, everything on that island will stay put which is incredibly vital, because…” She points at either end, “The ‘top’ Dragon Vein will rotate the island into a more horizontal alignment, the ‘bottom’ Dragon Vein will pull the island closer.”

“And this one?”

“I realized that when I was carving those three, that I would have no point of reference when adjusting the land, so I made this one… there are actually three parts to this Dragon Vein.” She stands on it. “This Dragon Vein is ‘divided’ into three parts, each on being linked to a Dragon Vein on that land.” One foot moves to the bottom right sight, “This one activates the Stability Dragon Vein.” The other foot goes to the bottom left, “This one will pull it closer.” That same foot moves to the top third, “This one will align the island horizontally…” She takes a breath, “Father? The present I want to give will be placing this chunk of land back where it belongs.” She smiles.

Anankos looks surprised, but he nods, “I trust you, daughter. But! If there is even a second where you think…”

Corrin laughs, “I’ve been growing far faster than you have noticed.” She steadies her stance. “Alright, I’m ready…” She takes one more breath, then starts channeling into the Dragon Vein. “Stability… alignment.” She whispers as two of the parts fired up. One hand stays in front of her, while the other is raised up higher, “Down, rotate…” The raised arm slowly lowers, which causes the massive chunk of floating land to rotated down, with all of the greenery and life remaining on the top. “Further, further…” She can already feel the magical stress building up. This  **is** a chunk of land that rivals the main island, after all. “A little more…” Over three minutes pass before the land is finally leveled out. She repositions that other foot onto the ‘pull’ section of the Dragon Vein. “Stability… draw.” The arm that was raised then lowered, is now outstretched. “Closer, closer…” She slowly pulls her arm back…

Then feels a rush of magic enter her, “Watch your limits, daughter.” Father whispers.

“Thank you… I didn’t realize…” She nods. Oh yes… she is going to sleep well after this! “Closer, closer…” Slowly the land reaches the point where it connects, causing a huge rumble to shake the island they are on. “Father…?” Magically drained, Corrin falls backwards, though he’s there to catch her.

“The magic on that island is stabilized…” He whispers, “ **That** is how much magic you just burned through.” He picks her up, “You’ve made me so proud.”

She snuggles up to him, “I love you, father…” She yawns.

“I love you too, daughter.” With that, he simply walks back towards the castle, their home.

With one huge chunk of land back where it belongs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter for ‘Hoshido’, one for ‘Nohr’, so the next would be for ‘Valla’, right? Hm… what topics could I cover for the final chapter? Yep, once I post that third chapter… that’s it. I’m done. I’ll say this now, I’m not exploring any pairings for Corrin, nor will I be doing any extra PoVs or anything else, really. This was made with Corrin and Anankos in mind, a huge shift for an AU.


	3. Inheritor of Valla

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter. How will this end? How much will Corrin be capable of by the end of the chapter?
> 
> I’m starting off with another time skip. Enjoy!

Beads of sweat runs down Corrin’s face as she levels out another chunk of land. “Ngh…” A little further and… whew. Corrin stumbles back after land hits land. She then takes a deep breath and looks at the surrounding area. Just a… dozen or so more land masses, a few smaller islands. A smile forms at the progress she’s been making. And of course, with the extensive magic use, stability has slowly been forming across Valla. Besides the still detached areas, there are only a handful of areas that are still crackling with magic. However, one place she won’t fix are the caves where reality doesn’t behave correctly. Despite having one of those flowers in her own garden, she wants their original habitat to be preserved.

She raised her arm to wipe some sweat off, before keenly remembering that Hinoka's gift is wrapped on that arm. Instead, she takes a moment to look it over, "Honor, duty, tradition, and family." She vocally states the ancient Hoshidan lettering. Her ruby eyes then scan over a glowing patch… "Father." On the cloth is the Silent Dragon… scaled down and a bit simplified. She waves her other hand over it, "Dawn." And it changes to the Dawn Dragon, Rajinto, Fujin Yumi, a Pegasus, and a cherry blossom tree… "Dusk." A second wave and now it's the Dusk Dragon, Siegfried, Brynhildr, a Wyvern, and a Lily. "Silent." And now it's back to father. She breathes in…

Then shakes her head as some sweat drips onto her eyes. The salty sting immediately hits, but it doesn’t take more than a wipe to remove it. She should get back to father… she lost track of time while fixing this land mass. The smile morphs into a frown… it’s been happening. The changes can be slow and almost unnoticeable, but they’re there. Sometimes it’s the way father wakes up in the morning, other times it’s when he acts, maybe he’s a little more distant, maybe he’s a little more insistent on doing something…

Corrin raises her hand and begins to form a portal, just wanting to make sure he’s alright. Once the puddle takes shape, she falls forward. She speeds through the air, only to form her wings long enough to keep her from forming any sort of crater. She starts off towards the castle… only to notice something different. No, not the castle, but the main city before that… balloons? Confetti?

A party?

With her curiosity piqued, Corrin redirects her path towards the main city, where slowly the sounds of laughter and other ‘party’-related noises can be heard. Was there a holiday today? She can’t recall. “Princess Corrin!” Of course, being the active Princess that she is, it didn’t take long for people to notice that their beloved Princess had made her way there. A sea of smiling faces and good spirits greeted her and even suggested she join in.

“If I may ask… did I miss a holiday?” She scans the giant crowd with her ruby-red eyes.

“Well… ‘miss’ would imply that you would at least know about it, right?” One of them asks, before getting gently nudged on the side by another.

“The harvests were good this year, Princess!” Another, more well… rounded one says. “Mother said she hasn’t seen yields this good since she was young!”

Despite the good-natured statement, Corrin can’t help but focus a bit too much on that… so, Valla has been suffering for almost two generations? Still, she forms a smile and nods, “I’m glad to hear that… then, is this what this is? A harvest festival?”

“This…” Lean and muscular woman raises her glass, “is for Valla’s Princess, for going so far out of her way for the common people. We wanted to celebrate the progress made.”

“...we were also hoping we could’ve finished putting up the decorations.” Another muttered, though if it weren’t for Corrin’s superior hearing, she would’ve missed it.

“Aw… you don’t have to do that.” Her heart is warmed at the thought, “Just seeing Valla flourish is enough reward.” She bows towards them, “Still, I’m honored you would take that kind of time out for me.”

“Well… since you’re here, would you care to join us?” Wait, hold on… Corrin specifically recognizes that one… It’s one of the sons from the family of four she stopped from thieving. Apparently, given her stare, the son remembers that as well. He also has a gift on his person. “Um… here?”

“I’m glad to see you’re doing well, sir.” Corrin offers a gentle smile as she accepts the gift. She carefully unwraps it like any other… a note? Oh! It’s a ‘thank-you’ card. He must’ve been too nervous to say this directly, then. Oh, there’s also a small bit at the end, offering one of the family’s cows. Corrin giggles, “Well, you’re welcome. And… only if you truly want to. All I ask is that you keep living well and safely.” She stashes the card inside of her Vallite Princess dress. She then looks over the large crowd once more, “I suppose it wouldn’t make much sense if you all took the time to throw a party for me and I didn’t attend, right? So… if you all are ready.”

* * *

Anankos watches with a smile as his daughter attends some sort of ceremony that the villagers in the main city are holding. His daughter is the center of attention as she does whatever ‘needs’ to be done. One moment she could be showing off some intricate magic tricks to the children, the next she could be letting some people ride on her dragon form.

She is truly the ‘people’s Princess’.

“Hm…” He closes the magical connection and takes a moment for himself… then opens another to see Valla as a whole. So much fixed, Valla is quickly returning to its original state… the glory it held when he first made it. Pound pound, he grits his teeth as another headache comes in. “Ngh.” He stumbles, before moving over to lean on a wall.  **Those** have been getting worse. He should really get around to telling Corrin about them…

And how it seems the only temporary cure is to expend a lot of magic.

Anankos unconsciously starts walking towards the room he sealed off, a void overflowing with magic…  **his** magic. Magic he keeps discharging in an attempt to keep himself stable. But, despite it being so large and open, even the infinite has its limits for a First Dragon. His void won’t keep holding more and more…

What will happen? Should it become too much? He shakes his head, no… not now. First, get rid of the headache, second… swallow his pride and ask for help. He needs help, he knows it.

A grand ornate door stands in front of him… but unlike the throne room, this door is not ornate because of simply displaying riches. It’s ornate because of the massive amounts of enchants and dense metals that make it up. He places a hand on the handle-less door and mutters a spell, the door then creaked open and he quickly steps through, lest the magic starts violently rushing out. Anankos walks out to the massive stone platform, which is in the shape of a ‘W’. He then goes to the center branch and for a moment… stares out into oblivion.

Far, far off in the void, he can see… himself. Multiple versions of himself. Primarily ones who had Corrin taken away from him, ones that went mad. With a bit of morbid curiosity, he reaches out and forms another scrying session… then two, three, until his curiosity is sated.

_“For Hoshido!”_ One of the Corrins shouts as she leads her Hoshidan army against King Garon… one who became Anankos’s puppet. Anankos watched with a quivering eye the entire battle. Corrin’s army triumphing over Garon, only for that Anankos to fuel that Garon and turn him into a dragon… one that managed to shatter the Noble Yato and almost…

Anankos was quick to silence that session.

_“For Nohr!”_ Another similar scenario, Corrin leading her Nohrian army against… Takumi? Anankos won’t lie, the thought has crossed his mind. Again, that Anankos empowered that Takumi and…

Session closed moments before Corrin took a direct shot.

It doesn’t settle his nerves knowing there are two versions for  **each** of those fights.

_“This will be settled today, father!”_ Corrin, leading both Nohr and Hoshido against Anankos himself… wait.

Why are there  **four** of these?

His eyes scan over the four versions, Corrin only wins once. The other three? One has the entire army obliterated. Two of them has Corrin’s army turned into… puppets. And for those ‘puppet’ routes, the army’s children end up taking arms. One wins, one loses. No wait… there’s a third?

This one shows where Corrin’s army falls against Anankos, but this Anankos isn’t satisfied with  **just** that world. Instead he pools his own magic and… merges one Hoshidan-Corrin’s world and one Nohrian-Corrin’s world? He can see the army’s lives fall one by one, Divine Weapons breaking… but also reforming into something new as the children grow up and take up arms. At least… at least they win.

He closes off all connections, but the images have already been planted… he turned his own daughter into a puppet?! Anankos scowls, raises his arms and does what he came here to do. “ **I will not fall down this same path!** ” He roars into the void as a massive amount of magic is funneled into the void. There… there. Headache gone. Anankos shakes his head and walks away from the void.

* * *

Several hours passed before the celebrations died down and Corrin finally started making her way back to the castle. She certainly didn't mean to spend so long out here, but… seeing her people so happy like that? There's no way she could've declined! Her chest is near a bursting point when it comes to her pride…

**She** did this, through her godly heritage, she is fixing Valla… land mass by land mass, village by village. So, with a quick farewell, promises of being seen again, and  **many ** hugs, Corrin returned to her home, the castle. She still needs to check up on father, after all.

“Father?” Her voice echoes through the castle’s interior. “I’m back.” Huh… it’s still rather quiet. Even the relative low number of servants can’t be heard. “Father?” Worry growing, she quickens her pace. “Your lovely Water Girl is back!” She perks up her voice… then unconsciously rubs Lady Hinoka’s gift. Her body shimmers as she feels the urge to summon her Divine Weapon. Then her ears twitch and she breaks into a run, she followed the sound of a pained groan all the way to the door that father told her  **never** to open. And… there he was. Anankos is leaning against that door, which is closed, clutching his head. “Father!” She exclaims, “Father, father…” She quickly goes to his side, “Your daughter’s here… can you hear me? You’re alright.” She hugs him. “Sh… it’s alright.”

“C-Corrin?” He gasps, sweat rolling down his body, “You’re… alright?” He frantically reaches up to touch her face. “Alive?”

Oh… he must’ve had a  **terrible** breakdown if… “What’s wrong? A nightmare?”

He shakes his head, “I… was scrying.” He sounds pained as he admits it.

“Huh?”

“Into… alternate timelines.” He slowly says, “Times where… Mikoto actually took you away.”

Wait… “Why?” The idea of alternate timelines doesn’t even phase her, as there are both far more important things to worry about… and the idea isn’t beyond her. She  **is** half-god, after all. “They aren’t you. You are you.”

“Curiosity. I… daughter, I…”

“I don’t care.” She sternly speaks. “You are my father, the one I’m looking at right now, the one I love. They aren’t you.”

“But I  **killed** you!”

“Father! Those versions of you aren’t this version of you!” She stresses. “Please, come back to me, I don’t want to lose you!” Tears form up. “I’m sorry, I should’ve came back sooner…” She whispers.

Father’s breathing finally starts to slow down, and his trembling stops. “Corrin?” He breathes in, finally returning the hug.

“Yes, father?” She chokes out.

“This room… I made it.” He still staggers a bit, but at least he’s composed now. “I’ve been channeling large amounts of magic into it, it relieves the headaches, but…”

“Your body could be absorbing it right back in, then.” She points out.

“I… didn’t think of that.” A pause, then he shakes his head, “No, that’s not what I wanted to bring up.” He pulls away from the hug, “Daughter, I… can’t. I’m sure you’ve noticed, I…”

“Don’t talk like that!”

“Absolute power will corrupt absolutely… dear, my lovely daughter. I’ve been alive for thousands of years, it’s… I need to stop soon.” He sounds far more determined. “And I don’t want to go down as a mad First Dragon, I want peace.”

“Father?” Tears well up again.

“Daughter… there’s a reason why I made you Resting Storm. There’s a reason why I named it the way I did.”

“No…”

“From my own teeth it was made, enchanted to pierce my own magic, my own defenses. I overcharged it, making sure that…”

“ **No** !” Corrin screams. “I’m not killing you! I refuse to carry a blade stained the blood of my own father! Is that how you want me to live  **my** life?!”

“No, but…”

“There has to be another way.” She firmly states, “Anything. A… a containment spell? Splitting your energy across several points? Maybe…?”

“So I can afford another hundred years in mental agony?” He cuts her off, “I’ll admit, I’ve been in constant pain. Tormented by what could be. I’ve been holding it off, I needed more time. You’ve… noticed I’ve been allowing you more privileges.”

“I went to the three-way trade negotiations alone.” She nods. “King Xander, King Sumeragi, and mother were all concerned for you.”

He nods, “I know. Corrin, you will make a perfect Queen. The people love you, you’re fixing Valla, and… you’re not afraid to reach out for help. You are everything that I am, but better. You’ve inherited Mikoto’s love and peace, you have my power, you have your own charisma and leadership.”

“And I will find a way to keep you sane, father.” She looks upon him with those shining, ruby eyes. Determination flaring up, and she grasps his hands, “Promise me this, father: Hold on… keep fighting. Because I’ll… go to Prince Leo, I’ll ask him for aid, I’ll search Nohr’s libraries… Hoshido’s archives… and our own collections. I  **will** find a way. I just need you to hold on. Please, for me.”

A moment passes, and Anankos nods, “I’ll create those magic siphoning pylons and hold myself in containment… for one year. If you can find a way within that year, then we’ll do that. If that year passes and there’s still no working cure, then you need to promise me you’ll give me a quick and peaceful end. Do you understand?”

“One year…” She nods. “I’ll get it done, I promise.” She pulls him into another, much tighter hug. “I’ll find a way, so you can both be at peace and still with this world. Besides…” Her voice cracks, “Wouldn’t you want to see my wedding? Hold my children?” Tears fall once more.

“I would love to, dear. Now… please, go. Hurry, but don’t overwork yourself.” The embrace breaks all too early, “There are things that need to be done.”

And he’s right. Corrin nods one more time, then steps away and waves her hand, summoning a portal. First up… Nohr. Sure, she could scour Valla’s information first, but… it would be far more efficient to request aid from Nohr and Hoshido, then look through Valla. Because while yes, a year is a long time, but Corrin is trying to do something that probably hasn’t been done… containing a god, a First Dragon. So, during this time, he isn’t Anankos the ‘Father’, but…

Anankos the Silent Dragon.

* * *

It may have only been a few years, but with assistance from both Valla and Hoshido, the lands of Nohr are already improving. Sure, it still has a long way to go, but seeing these mostly grassy fields with trees slowly sprouting is a far better sight than the almost desert-feel they once had. Corrin looks up… still, something has to be done about these constant clouds. Fertile land won’t fix everything, as these plants will still need the warmth of the sun to grow.

Looking ahead once more, with Windmire within sight, Corrin doubles her pace. She really only teleported to the outskirts of the castle to see how the land is faring. Sure… she could’ve simply opened a scrying session and seen  **all** of Nohr, but… there’s a certain satisfaction to actually seeing it herself.

Corrin casually walks through the city, acting more like a frequent traveler, rather than a royal. It does help that she doesn’t have retainers. “Oh… oh my.” Huh? “Well, what a surprise!” Corrin turns around to see none other than Princess Camilla… in the market.

Oh, what are the odds of that? “Hello, Lady Camilla.”

“...” On one side of Camilla stands a light-blue hair woman in similar battle armor as Camilla… so, a Wyvern Rider? On the other is a red-hair with absurdly long twintails, scowling at Corrin.

“Lady Corrin.” The red-hair speaks.

“Greetings.” Corrin offers a half-bow.

“Now now darlings… Lady Corrin? These are my retainers. Beruka and Selena.” She gestures towards each for their names. “Darlings? This is Princess Corrin of Valla, do say hello.”

“Hello.” Beruka states.

“Yeah, hi.” Selena.

“It is nice to meet you both.” Corrin replies.

“Oh… don’t mind their curtness. That’s just how they are.” Camilla walks up to Corrin with a huge smile, “So… might I ask why you’re here? Just a random visit?”

“I… actually came to speak to Lord Leo.” She admits. “There is a problem that needs to be addressed.”

Camilla frowns, “I’m afraid our darling Leo isn’t in Krakenburg right now. Is there anything I can do?”

Ah well… Leo is a Prince, after all, he must have his duties to attend to. “It is an incredibly complex matter on magic, so… if you think you’re up to it? I mean, I’m not trying to sound like…”

“Anything for such a sweet woman as yourself.” She smiles.

“I need to look up magical incantations that involve a way to somehow strip a portion of power out of an individual and keep it out of them.”

“Dear?”

“My father…” Is all she says before Camilla steps forward.

“Say no more. Now, while I’m no scholar myself… I dare say that Nohr has the best to offer when it comes to magic.” She nods, “Now, let’s go to Krakenburg’s library.”

“Lady Camilla…” Beruka starts off.

“Actually… I can’t. My apologies... I did come out here for a reason, after all.” Camilla giggles. “I’ll be there within the hour.”

Corrin nods, “That’s not a problem.” With that Corrin resumes walking towards the castle in the ground. Soon enough, she approaches the edge and looks down. It’s… a shame that the walkways and pillars are densely packed, or else she could glide down. See, she can’t do as tight turns as a Wyvern Rider or Pegasus Knight could, because there are wyvern patrollers flying around. Corrin lets out a huff, then goes down the normal way…

Walking.

* * *

Now, while Nohr as a land was improving, it seems as if Castle Krakenburg hasn’t changed one bit. Corrin wants to assume it’s because King Xander is prioritizing the country over the castle itself. Sure, this is the place where the royals reside, but a nation can’t exist from about a half-dozen people. At least the halls are layered with activity. Maids and Butlers rush from one end to the other, cleaning messes, carrying trays and towels. Nobles line up on random spots, chatting with each other. Guards patrolling.

It’s almost the exact opposite of how her home castle feels.

Corrin follows the hallways, through all the twists, turns, and stairs… there are so many stairs! Soon enough, though, she reaches her destination, the library. She gently pushes the door open and walks inside. She is instantly greeted with towers of books on shelves, all neatly organized. No space is wasted, either, as each aisle of shelves are barely more than two people-wide.

Most of Valla’s written work are in special books that can contain dozens of books within one. If you open one, you get a table of contents, then all you have to do is cast a simple spell to get the information you want. In this manner, even all of these, what has to be hundreds of books, can be condensed into just a few dozen. Still, Corrin would almost prefer if Valla’s library was like this one… a ‘normal’ one. There’s just something special about having each book contain only its own contents, rather than one book containing everything.

“Ah, are you impressed?” Corrin was expecting Camilla, but instead none other than King Xander is the ones speaking to her.

“Your highness.” Corrin immediately turns to offer a bow.

He waves his hand, “Please, spare the formalities. I get enough of that while sitting on the throne.” Siegfried is still by his side. “Now, if I’d known you were visiting…”

“Do pardon my sudden appearance…”

“It’s important, isn’t it?” He raises an eyebrow.

Corrin nods, “Father is… losing himself. I need a way to take out a chunk of his magic and lock it away.”

“There are such spells, but I’m unsure if there’s anything potent enough for a First Dragon.” He admits. “Perhaps you can change the variables in one of them?”

“Are you well-versed in magic?” She’s surprised, he seems more of a physical type of person.

“As King, I need to know as much as I can get my hands on… though I do tend to delegate a number of magical issues to Leo.”

“Any help would be appreciated, Xander.” Corrin bows.

He places a hand on her shoulder, “You helped Nohr, so allow Nohr to help you. I’ll have Nohr’s best scour every last tome until we find an answer… so you can stay and support your father.”

“Thank you so much. I’m… actually heading to Hoshido next to ask the same from them. After that I’ll return to Valla.” One more bow, “I hope to see you again soon!”

“You as well, Princess Corrin.” A pause, “Ah, one more thing… it’s about Lilith.”

Oh, that doesn’t sound good, “Yes, Xander?”

“She packed her things and left. Without a single trace, be it physical or magical. I’m… not sure what went wrong, but… I’ll let you know the second I find out.”

Corrin gulps, then nods, “Thank you, Xander.” With the promise of aid, Corrin opens a portal on the spot. While yes, father is containing himself, she would still rather be by his side sooner. As usual, she leans forward and falls through the puddle of water…

* * *

And is now hundreds of feet above Hoshido, gliding down in her dragon form. She can see new villages being constructed, which are close to the recently implanted ore mines. An internal smile forms, so much progress has been made between these three kingdoms. Valla is becoming stable, Hoshido is gaining natural ore, Nohr is becoming fertile for plants. She nods to herself, then lands somewhat near the city. Alright, now that she’s…

“Hey! Lady Corrin!” Lady Hinoka swoops down on her Pegasus, “Good to see ya again!” She dismounts… and her face lightens up even more when she takes note of the red cloth, “How’s things been going?”

How awkward, considering that the first person to call her out in both kingdoms are the older sisters. “I’m doing well, though… I came to ask for some aid.”

She tilts her head, “What’s up?”

“It’s father. I need to know if there are any spells that are designed to take out and contain large amounts of magic.”

“I have no idea, I try to avoid magic as much as I can.” She quickly dismisses. “All my strength is from me. Same goes for… well, pretty much everyone. Only a few of us are really any good with magic.”

“But, you do have a library, right?”

She shrugs, “Yeah, but I dunno where it is.”

Wait, seriously? “Okay, well… I’m just going to stop by the library.”

“Yeah… sorry about that.” She sheepishly smiles, but then gasps, “Oh right, the strangest thing happened recently… we, uh… got a new stablehand.”

Corrin tilts her head, “Okay?”

“Well, it’s just that… mother gave her a room all to herself, she’s basically treating her like royalty.” Hinoka states, “I don’t get why. I mean, she’s really good at her job, but…”

Lilith. Why did she leave Krakenburg? Maybe she found out about mother? Ugh… still, Corrin simply nods, “Yeah, that is weird.” Just like the fact that Hinoka seemingly has no idea that the ‘new stablehand’ is Corrin’s sister. Or, there could just be a possibility that this isn’t Lilith and Mikoto has taken her in as a daughter. Hm…

Shrugging it off, Corrin continues towards Shirasagi. She… isn’t too sure if she wants to visit the ‘new stablehand’. She’s actually worried on how Lilith will react. Another bout of fear? Will she attack? It seems unlikely, but Corrin worries. Still, she continues on, if they meet, they meet. If they don’t, they don’t.

* * *

Corrin enters the castle and travels through the halls. Like Krakenburg, the halls are active with a number of people, nobles, guards, and servants. Also like Krakenburg, while Hoshido itself is improving, Shirasagi looks largely the same. Let’s see… the library, where exactly would it be… “Daughter?” Mother asks…

Followed by a terrified squeak, “Sister.” Lilith stands between Corrin and Mikoto.

“Hello mother… sister.” Corrin greets. “I hope…”

“What are you doing here?!”

“Lilith dear, please…”

“She’s staying with…  **him** .” She narrows her vivid yellow eyes.

“Mother? Father needs help.” Corrin asks.

“He…”

“Daughter, enough.” Mikoto firmly states. “Corrin? I’ve… been trying to better the idea of Anankos for her, but… I should’ve stayed.” She sighs. “So, he asked for help?”

“He’s losing himself.” Lilith opened her mouth, but Mikoto managed to keep her quiet. “I have a year to figure out a way to separate some of his power from him or… I’ll have to…” She trails off.

Mother nods, “There’s a way.” She states with confidence, almost like she planned it… maybe she has? “However…”

“Nothing painful, nothing that leaves him bound. I want him to live his life.” That came out a bit more aggressively than she wanted. “He wants to name me Queen, and I want him to still see major events like…” A small flush, “A wedding, my children. I still want to be able to gift him flowers, to see his smile when the Vallites party in our name.” She looks away, suddenly embarrassed, “Mother? The people of Valla threw a party for me today, just because of all the ways I’ve helped them out. There was games, food, and so much fun and laughter.”

“Valla is being… helped?” Lilith asks, losing some of her tenseness.

“That’s wonderful to hear!” Mother smiles. “But did you have a good time?”

She quickly nods, “I did! I got to take children for rides on my dragon form, cast neat little spells, played games and… it’s like we were all on the same level. I’m not just a ‘Princess’ to them, but a friend, someone to lean on. I got to talk with everyone so casually, I gave advice and…” Her heart fills with pride, “I love them all.”

Lilith blinks in amazement. “R-really? And he lets…?”

“Father isn’t what you think he is.” Corrin says, “Yes, there are times where he has trouble, but he means well. He loves me like any father should love their child. He supports me when I want to do something, if I have questions, he tries to answer them. He…” Corrin takes a breath, “He still cares for you, mother. He worries for your safety, sister. It’s just… he’s a First Dragon, a god. He has trouble when it comes to simply asking for help, he can have trouble properly reacting. Lilith, sister… I do hope you will visit him at least one time. I ask that you try to learn both sides. And… and if you decide you still wish to live with mother and never return to Valla, then I’ll understand. He’ll understand.”

Sister looks from mother to Corrin, “I’ll… think about it.”

Good, that’s better than outright denying. “Mother, so… about father?”

“I’ll… see what I can do. All I ask is that you return to him and comfort him.” Oh wow, similar answers for both. Corrin smiles…

“Thank you, mother. It’s good to see you again, sister.” And with that, she opts to leave Shirasagi and return to Valla. One open portal later and she’s free-falling towards home…

Thankfully, neither visit took too long.

* * *

It's been about eight months now and Corrin has been running off of a lot of energy-enhancing spells and natural remedies. Despite the incredibly great start, it turns out that trying to contain the power of a First Dragon is a lot harder than anticipated. Everything found and suggested by all sources always proved to be too weak and undertuned, and even when they were carefully increased by measured percentages, it just wouldn’t work on Anankos.

Needless to say, stress is becoming a very common thing in Corrin’s day-to-day life. The fear of having to kill her father is keeping her up at night. Is this something similar to what father felt? When mother was pregnant? Here Corrin is, her power that she inherited from her father…

She can move land masses, create volcanoes, form rivers… cast spells that can bring people from the brink of death, heal any wound  **including** toxins, restore stamina, or she could lay waste to a city. Yet… she can’t do a single thing to help her father stay sane.

Lilith has yet to visit. Maybe she just said what she said to be nice? “Ugh…” Corrin holds her head and lets her head hit the desk. “Father… I don’t want to lose you.” Tears fall once more, which is also becoming a more common occurrence. “Please, don’t leave me. I… I don’t want to rule Valla without you. I…” Her crying soon causes her speech to fracture and turn into incoherent muttering.

* * *

Anankos simply watches the time pass away, his doubt in Corrin never fading, but… anxiety still builds up. No, he doesn’t want to die, he wants to live with his daughter, but… insanity is creeping in further and further. There  **were** a few days where he was ready to break the bindings on himself. Yet, each time he stopped himself, no! He promised he would fight off for another year, but the problem is that…

‘A year’ is only a few days from now.

* * *

Corrin leans back in her chair, and dreads a look at the calendar… tomorrow. So, this is the verdict? A daughter being forced to kill her father? With a Divine Weapon that he made for her on her birthday? To inherit a throne and crown, while wielding a blade, all tainted by the Silent Dragon’s blood? Corrin tried, she really did.

Xander has sent so many different scholars, Leo had made countless visits… Camilla and Elise occasionally came over with treats, games, and other relaxing activities. They know the pain of being without a father… Corrin has yet to tell them. Should she?

Ryoma and Hinoka has been instructing her in the ways of the katana and naginata, respectively, if only to better distract Corrin. Takumi taught her the ways of the Yumi. Sakura helped out with healing training. Mother has consoled Corrin on every visit… she even spoke to Anankos several times.

All of this support, but there has yet to be a non-lethal answer to the problem.

A knock on the door, “Princess Corrin?” Ah…

“Come in, Lord Leo.” She replies.

The smell of a strong tea enters the air, “Pardon my abrupt arrival.” He places the tea tray next to her and sits down.

She shrugs it off… his visit, that is, “This castle is as much your home as it is mine.” She sniffs the tea, mmm… “Mint?”

“That’s correct. Would you care for a cup?”

“Yes, please.” She quickly agrees, to which he pours a cup and hands it to her, “Thank you.” Mmm… mint. “Not that I’m complaining… but this is something Lady Camilla and Lady Elise would do.”

His expression turns serious, “I came alone for a reason, Lady Corrin.” He takes a breath, “I need to admit, I’ve been keeping a potential solution away from you.”

Her breath catches, but then she considers the reason of him arriving alone like this… “It’s morally wrong?”

“Yes. I swore that I would find another way, but… tomorrow is the day, correct?” A saddened look was all the answer he needed. “Princess Corrin, I won’t lie… there is a way to keep King Anankos alive, in full control, and sane, but this will require delving into the worst that Dark Magic has to offer.”

“And that is?”

“Changing  **him** , as a person. Using a mixture of mind-control and emotion manipulation to remove the part of him that is causing the insanity, but…”

“Side effects?”

“It’s very delicate work. Anywhere from making the insanity worse, causing hallucinations… anything is probable. Incurable diseases, excessive bleeding…” He trails off.

“I… understand.” She whispers, before taking another sip of tea.

“I’d like to stay at the castle for the night, so I can know your decision as soon as possible.” Leo rises up and…

“Lord Leo?” Corrin asks, “One more moment, please.”

“Of course.” He sits back down.

She takes a deep breath, “If you’re willing to delve into that for my father, I… guess it’s only fair I share something.”

“A secret?”

“Your family.” She takes another moment, and he allows her that time. “My father, a number of years ago, during his insanity… started up one of his plans. I didn’t know about it until after the fact, but… I managed to get him to stop it.”

“And this plan is…?”

“Invoking a war between Nohr and Hoshido.” She supplies, “He was going to use… the late King Garon to start a war and…”

Leo narrows his eyes. “I see… and your role in this?”

“I convinced him to slowly stop feeding life into Garon, so it would look like he had a peaceful death due to old age.” She flinches.

“And you kept this from us?”

“I’m sorry, but… I couldn’t bring myself to.”

“Thank you.” Wait, what? “Don’t get me wrong, I’m terribly hurt by this, but… the only involvement you had was to stop the situation from getting worse. Your father, on the other hand…” He takes a breath, calming himself, “I will only wish for him to have a peaceful end.” He stands up once more, “Is there anything else?”

“No, Lord Leo… thank you for your time.”

“Of course, Lady Corrin.” With that he leaves.

Corrin sighs, finishes off the cup of tea and leans back again. “Father…”

* * *

No sleep again. Corrin ended up staying awake all night and she’s feeling the effects of it. So, one of the first things she does is pump herself with another dosage of magic to get her going. She slowly walks around the castle, she… isn’t going to visit Leo before father. With tears already forming, she walks over to the conduits that were placed to keep father stable and… “Father.” Corrin breathes in.

“Good morning, daughter.” He and her knows there is nothing ‘good’ about this morning.

“Good morning, father.” But she wants one more good memory with him. “How are you doing?”

“...tired, mentally.” He gestures towards one of the broken pillars, “I’ve had trouble.”

She nods. “But… you did it. For me.” She sits next to him… shoulder to shoulder. “You did so much for me.”

“I simply did what any father would do for their child.” He smiles, weakened.

“Looking back… you were doing so much for me, and I can see that a lot of it was for becoming a Queen.”

He nods, “But… you always will be my Princess.”

Corrin giggles, “You never called me that.”

“Corrin, daughter? My little Princess.” He chuckles.

“Oh, father…” She sighs. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He leans back. “So…” The mood drops.

“I haven’t.”

“I see.” He raises a hand to part his hair. “Then I suppose…”

“Yeah.”

“I’m proud of you.”

“I know. I’m gonna miss you.” Several minutes pass in silence. “I don’t want to do this.”

“Corrin…”

“I know.” She looks at her hand, and summons Resting Storm. The shiny water on her skin coalesces over to that hand, and the blade forms.

“I won’t feel a thing.” He ‘assures’ her. “All bleeding will be prevented, I…” His heart rate increases, and he stands up.

She also stands up. “But I’ll remain hurting for the rest of my life.” Tears returns. “It doesn’t change the fact that…”

“If it helps… I’m just Anankos, the Silent Dragon. I’m no King… I’m no father. Just a First Dragon falling to his own power.”

She takes a moment to think it over, then shakes her head. “No… I want to remember you as my father. That’s… what you always told me. A father first, then a king, and lastly a First Dragon.”

“I did, but…” He shakes his head, “Daughter.” Strained, he then holds his head.

“I know, I know…” She raises Resting Storm. “Father? I love you. I love you so much and I hope you’ll forever remain at peace.” He simply nods, he’s in pain. He’s… he isn’t trying to hold it back. Corrin takes a deep breath and with the most pained movement of her own life…

* * *

Corrin, Queen of Valla. Years have passed and she still can feel the pain. There are times at night where she awakens from a nightmare, or she randomly stares at her hand. The castle is deafening in its silence. She has had visits from both Hoshidan and Nohrian royalty… with the most frequent being Camilla, Elise, Sakura… and mother. Lilith came by once, for Anankos’s funeral, but she didn’t even stay the whole time.

Leo told only Xander and Camilla, and all three of them had a chat with her about that. The relations between Nohr and Valla will remain. Camilla surprisingly only offered comfort, even stating that she wished Corrin told her earlier, well that… and to promise that Corrin only refers to Camilla as ‘big sister’.

Other than that, only a few land masses remain disconnected. The Vallites mourned the loss of the King, welcomed Corrin as the new Queen and the love continues. All she can do right now is look towards the future, for whatever tasks are next. Right now, she needs to focus on Valla and herself.

Now, of course she will wed, but… it’s not something she’s actively looking forward to.

Corrin gets up from the throne, she needs to do something… anything… magic. Warping.

“Sister?” Lilith appears. “You are well?”

“I missed you.”

“I waited too long.” Lilith looks away. “I… I was finally ready, I decided I wanted to see him and… time was already up.” Tears.

And just like that, the wound reopened and Corrin sniffles with her own tears forming. “I love you, sister.”

“I… love you, too. I’m sorry, I should’ve listened.” A pause, “Do you… need any help? I want to show that…”

“I want you to live a happy life, sister. If that includes helping, then help. If you wish to settle down in Hoshido, then settle down.”

Lilith gulps. “I want to help.”

Corrin nods with a smile, “First, let’s get you settled in. Then maybe I can show you some of the sights, and…” A pause, “Welcome home.”

“Thank you, sister.” Lilith bows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. Well, that’s… that? A-yep. I did say this was going to be three chapters long, and I think I wrapped wrapped up all the plot threads. So… yep.
> 
> I do hope y’all enjoyed it.


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